Asbury Park Congressman Calls Overturning Roe V. Wade 'An Assault'

ASBURY PARK, NJ — The fact that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade is being called "an assault" by U.S. Congressman Frank Pallone, a Democrat who has represented Asbury Park on Capitol Hill since 1988.

"Roe v. Wade has stood for nearly 50 years protecting the right to abortion," said Pallone Tuesday. "If this draft opinion is accurate, the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning half a century of precedent and decimating reproductive rights for millions of Americans. This is an assault on women and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions and undermines the right to privacy for all Americans."

Pallone, like NJ Gov. Phil Murphy, is a staunch supporter of abortion rights and access for women.

"It is an ideological decision not based in the Constitution that will further undermine trust in the Supreme Court and cause devastating harm to our people and our nation," continued Pallone.
Politico reported Monday that it had obtained the draft majority opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, and circulated inside the court, that strikes down Roe as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the case that affirmed a woman's right to obtain an abortion.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts has now confirmed that this is a genuine draft. He also called the leak "a betrayal" and said a full investigation will be done to find the person who leaked it to the media.

However, much can change before the court publishes its final decision, which would likely be in June or July.

Pallone is a Democrat who has represented New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District for decades (he was first elected to Congress in 1988). He will be challenged by a Republican this November in the midterms; four Republicans are running in the June primary to challenge Pallone. Related: 4 Republicans Seek To Challenge Rep. Frank Pallone In 2022 Midterms (April 5, 2022)

"NJ 6" stretches from Carteret and Woodbridge into Edison and New Brunswick, down into parts of Old Bridge, through Aberdeen, Hazlet, Holmdel, Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands. It also includes Asbury Park and Long Branch.

If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, access to abortion would be decided at the state level. Right now, 22 U.S. states have laws on their books to ban or restrict abortion, and four more appear poised to do so, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights policy group.

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, women would still have access to abortion in New Jersey. Abortion access in New Jersey was largely secured by Gov. Murphy in October of 2020, when he helped pass the Reproductive Freedom Act.

Murphy said he specifically signed that bill into law six days after then-President Donald Trump selected Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

"Quite frankly, while enraging, this news is hardly surprising," said Murphy on Tuesday. "This is exactly why we took the step we did earlier this year in enshrining every New Jerseyan's full reproductive rights into state law."

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