Local residents are speaking out in response to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case guaranteeing the federal constitutional right to an abortion.
On Friday, June 24, the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe in a 6-3 decision, granting states the power to determine abortion rights. Jaffrey resident and health care worker Kelly Omu is a pro-choice advocate who has been fighting for the right to an abortion for years, including marching to the State House while pregnant to protest against New Hampshire’s abortion laws.
Currently, New Hampshire has legalized abortion, but prohibits abortions after 24 weeks with exceptions for fatal fetal diagnoses and the life of the pregnant person. New Hampshire also requires a 48-hour parental notice if the person seeking an abortion is under 18. Omu said she is outraged by the court’s decision.
“I feel devastated,” said Omu.
On Friday, Omu joined pro-choice protestors to rally in Keene’s Central Square in response to the overturning of Roe. She said that the court’s decision will have a nationwide ripple effect.
“I feel our country has labeled us as second-class citizens,” said Omu. “I don’t feel as safe.”
Omu said the rallies give the pro-choice community hope that the fight isn’t over yet.
“It makes it feel worth it,” said Omu. “I know I made a huge impact with my own voice. It’s time to speak up, look at what the lawmakers are doing. They are taking away our rights.”
For Gail Carroll, 70, of Hancock, the thought of going back to a time before Roe v. Wade is both saddening and disturbing. Carroll, a former film producer, and an advocate for reproductive rights since the early 1970s, when she was in her early 20s, said she has cried when talking about the SCOTUS decision last Friday.
“I find it so hard to believe we have gone back this way,” she said. “And the thing that’s most disturbing to me isn’t the decision itself to go back on Roe v. Wade but what it means about the court and what it means about future freedoms. I have a daughter who is queer and plans to get married next year. That right could be threatened.”
Carroll expressed deep concern about the “tone of the country,” citing the Supreme Court’s recent decision to loosen gun laws in New York.
“In just one week, they’ve loosened gun restrictions and tightened restrictions on a woman’s body and free choice,” she said.
While Carroll believes limitations to abortion should be in place she believes the decision will disproportionately harm people of color and people with fewer resources.
And the court’s decision, she said, is also hypocritical.
“They’re talking about turning it over to the states, and in the next breath they’re talking about making [abortion] a national prohibition,” Carroll said. “[The court] does not seem to be seeking the will of the people and what they believe but is, rather, voting on personal views.”
This sentiment of hypocrisy was echoed by Hancock resident Molly Howard, 61, who is running for state representative.
“About 24 hours earlier [the Supreme Court] loosened gun laws which would be counter to the protection of life they’re claiming is happening by banning abortions,” Howard said, adding that she believes the decision runs counter to states’ rights. “I’m confused by this court.”
Howard describes herself as a liberal and said she is open to listening and learning from others’ perspectives. But she acknowledges the difficulty of this and blames part of the problem on the language that is used.
“I’m really tired of the word ‘abortion.’ I know you can’t talk about it without saying the word, but I think for a large number of people who are against abortion, it’s a red herring,” she said. “Roe was based on privacy. If we take zygotes and embryos out of it, we’re talking about women being able to choose for themselves.”
Both Howard and Carroll believe that bridging what they see as a communication gap in the country starts with understanding and listening. For Carroll, who teaches nonviolent communication, respecting other’s religious and philosophical ideas regarding care for life is crucial.
“I want to have respect for their care of life, that they believe this is God’s word,” she says. “And I want others’ needs to be held carefully as well. Someone who can’t afford to have a child because they’re in school or they’ve been raped. I want them also to have a choice.”
For Howard, the key is finding common ground.
“We really need to figure out a way to hear each other and more than ever, we need common ground. When you listen to people, they will listen to you,” she said, adding that education is one way.
For Howard, the project of civil discourse goes beyond the court’s decision on Roe v. Wade. She believes discourse must be approached without the goal of changing minds.
“It’s about changing behavior, not simply changing minds,” she said. “The names that we call each other are so dehumanizing. It’s really easy to write off a ‘libtard.’”
She believes quality education is a common denominator “leveling the playing field” and creating civil discourse.
“If people get good educations they can make better decisions,” she said, adding that this can lead to a better quality of life for everyone.
Carroll said her faith in democracy has been shaken over the past five years and that the court’s decision last Friday has generated a lot of emotion.
“We depend on having a Supreme Court that is nonpartisan and that doesn’t appear to be true anymore,” she said.