Westchester NOW co-president: Roe v. Wade in serious jeopardy

Elizabeth Zimmerman, co-president of the Westchester National Organization for Women, says Roe v. Wade is in serious jeopardy.

News 12 Staff

May 19, 2019, 8:18 PM

Updated 1,797 days ago

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Elizabeth Zimmerman, co-president of the Westchester National Organization for Women, says Roe v. Wade is in serious jeopardy.
"We don't want to return to those dark days of back alley abortions and women dying," says Zimmerman.
After Alabama passed a law that made performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases, including rape and incest, some state lawmakers said they hope to challenge the 1973 decision in the U.S. Supreme Court.

"The right wing has managed to pack the Supreme Court with anti-choice justices and now these restrictive state laws will be elevated to the Supreme Court, and he sees that as a clear path to overturning Roe v. Wade," Zimmerman says, referencing President Donald Trump.

Trump appeared to agree that the Alabama bill is too strict in several tweets this weekend. He posted Saturday,  "...I am strongly pro-life, with the three exceptions - rape, incest and protecting the life of the mother..."
He also said, in part, "The radical left, with late term abortion (and worse), is imploding on this issue. We must stick together and win for life in 2020."
But Zimmerman says the president's rhetoric is divisive and writes a false narrative about the prevalence of late-term abortions.
"The CDC has reported less than 1% of women obtain an abortion after 24 weeks. These are very specific, heart-breaking circumstances women find themselves in at that point," says Zimmerman.

State Sen. Pete Harckham tells News 12 that a woman should have the right to choose, saying, "I believe that doctors, not politicians, should be making health care decisions along with the patient."

Earlier this year, state lawmakers put protections in place for New Yorkers with the passage of the Reproductive Health Act, which allows for an abortion after 12 weeks if a woman's health or life is in jeopardy or the fetus is not viable.
News 12 reached out to some local Republican officials for their thoughts on the issue and is awaiting responses.
 
 


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