Leaders from across South Florida react to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

MIAMI - Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart issued the following statement on the United States Supreme Court's decision.

"Today, the Supreme Court of the United States has applied sound constitutional principles to arrive at its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization," Diaz-Balart said.

"SCOTUS overturned decades of wrongful jurisprudence based on the unfounded decision that the U.S. Constitution provides a right to abortion. Legal scholars of varying ideologies have questioned the faulty reasoning of the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade, such as Laurence Tribe, who stated, 'One of the most curious things about Roe is that, behind its own verbal smokescreen, the substantive judgment on which it rests is nowhere to be found.'

"As Justice Byron White wrote in his prescient dissent in Roe v. Wade, the majority opinion in Roe, 'is an improvident and extravagant exercise of the power of judicial review...' Justice White also stated, 'this issue should be left with the people and to the political processes the people have devised to govern their affairs.'"

Congressman Diaz-Balart concluded by saying, "This decision is long overdue. The Supreme Court is to be commended."

TALLAHASSEE -  Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz released the following statement:

"Today's decision by five Republican-appointed Justices severely restricts the freedom of millions of women to make deeply personal health care decisions and instead impose government interference in health care decisions between women, their doctors, family, and God.

"Florida Republicans Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis are focused on banning abortion and basic freedoms when they should be trying to improve our economy, ensure that every American can find a good paying job, and make health care more affordable. They support draconian bans on reproductive health care without exceptions when a woman's life is in danger or for victims of rape and incest. Today's decision gives them the power to compel their dangerous political agenda at every level, including a possible ban on the use of contraceptives.

Democrats believe in the freedom of women to make their own personal health decisions and are committed to fighting government interference in health care decisions between women and their doctors. Conservative politicians have no right to intervene in some of the most difficult and personal choices women and their families have to make."

MIAMI - U.S. Congressman Brian Mast released the following statement following the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization:

"I fought on battlefields to protect the innocent and uphold the Constitution - abortion does neither.  Our kids are the most innocent among us—at a year, at birth and before.  This decision will protect millions of vulnerable, unborn babies, and that is a reason to celebrate."

FORT LAUDERDALE - Democratic U.S. Representative Ted Deutch, Task Force Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus, issued this statement following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization:

"Today, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion. But the right to bodily autonomy is not just a constitutional right. It is a human right. This much is clear: even as the relentless attacks on Americans' most personal, most basic rights continue, we will fight to protect women's reproductive rights and safety. Now is not a time for panic, but a time for focused action in order to protect, uplift, and support one another. Our work continues, together."

WASHINGTON - Republican US Senator Rick Scott issued the following statement. 

"The importance of today's decision by the Supreme Court cannot be overstated. For nearly 50 years, our country endured flawed legal reasoning that invented an implied constitutional right to abortion while stripping authority from lawmakers according to the will of the people. Today, the Court correctly interpreted the Constitution, defended human dignity and the foundational principle of federalism, and rightly declared that there is no constitutional right to end the life of an unborn child.

"I firmly believe that life begins at conception and that every child deserves to be welcomed into this world with open and loving arms. Abortion ends a life. It is abhorrent and has no place in our society. While we celebrate the Court's latest ruling, the fight to protect the sanctity of life is not over. Lawmakers and the pro-life movement have the responsibility to make adoption more accessible and affordable, and do everything in our power to meet the needs of struggling women and their families so they can choose life. We cannot stop fighting until every life, born and unborn, is valued."

Members of the House Democratic Caucus issued the following statements:

Leader Evan Jenne (D-Hollywood) issued the following statement, "History has shown us that abortions cannot be ended by legislation. All this will do is make it harder to get a safe, legal abortion, and lead to what we saw in decades past: women sick and dying because of unsafe, underground abortions.

The majority of Americans, and Floridians, want there to be access to abortion services. A loud minority has pushed its extremist agenda all the way to the Supreme Court, and millions will suffer because of it.

Choosing when and if to have a baby is one of the most important and personal decisions anyone can ever make. Access to family planning options like birth control and abortions are critically important and should be protected for all."

Leader-Designate Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa) said, "Today's decision by the Supreme Court is devastating but it is not surprising. The court, dominated by radically conservative justices, has just overturned the most significant piece of law protecting privacy and the health of women in our country. Today's decision should concern every American. After today, women are less safe. After today, our Supreme Court is a political tool, not an impartial court of justice.

For Floridians, today's decision ratifies the radical and dangerous legislation jammed through the state government by Republicans and clears the path for a full ban of all abortions in our state, without exceptions for rape or incest.

This is a major setback as we work to create a state and country where we all have the freedom to be healthy, prosperous and safe. But I am more determined than ever to fight."

Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando) said, "This is a devastating blow to our collective freedom as women and Americans. And it follows a clear and consistent Republican effort to end the right to abortions. We have never lost a constitutional right, and now must make sure that Republicans at every level of government feel the consequences of stripping away our rights and freedoms.

Abortion is about freedom, options, self-determination, and a free society. This SCOTUS decision completely strips us of our collective freedoms, taking away our power to control our personal decisions and handing it over to politicians. It will have a ripple effect around the nation with abortion bans already set to go into place and states like Florida planning to be next.

We cannot forget that this fight goes beyond abortion, this decision is tied to other freedoms we have fought for, including same sex marriage and access to contraception.

Though this is a major loss for gender equity and a horrific win for extreme conservatism we must remember that here in Florida, abortion is still legal. We must remember that Floridians overwhelmingly want abortion to remain legal, and generations before us have fought tirelessly to gain and protect the rights we have today. We must take these fights with us into the upcoming midterm elections while we continue to support local abortion providers and funds.

This is not the time to shrink, or surrender. The antidote to despair is action. We are in a fight to make sure everyone has the power to control their own bodies, lives, and futures and despite this decision, cannot give up now."

Representative Susan Valdés (D-Tampa) added, "Today's decision is an egregious judicial overreach and an attack on the fundamental rights of every American. My heart breaks for the women in states where their individual autonomy will be nullified, and the rights that so many worked so hard for secure are trampled. Using the power of the state to force women to have children against their will is a violation of basic principles of liberty and human dignity. No matter what this Supreme Court says, a woman has an inalienable right to decide what happens to her body. It is imperative that we redouble our efforts to secure that basic right; to defend choice, individual liberty, and the values we hold dear as Americans. I pledge to do everything in my power as a legislator to ensure that the Florida Constitution is followed and our state protects a woman's right to choose."

Representative Robin Bartleman (D-Weston) said, "It's a sad day. I can't believe that my daughters and women across this country will no longer have the ability to make choices about OUR bodies."

Representative Angie Nixon (D-Jacksonville) added, "This radical Supreme Court decision is not about supporting life. Pro-life is about eliminating racial health disparities, it's about addressing the alarmingly high Black maternal morbidity rates, protecting access to affordable health care, and our freedom to control our own bodies and our futures. Politics will now make decisions for our health– not our doctors and not ourselves. It's a sad day for all of us, especially Black women."

MIAMI - Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez issued the following statement after today's Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.

"The Supreme Court's ultimate duty is to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Today, they did just that. Roe V. Wade was fundamentally wrong from the very beginning. Nowhere in the Constitution is the right to abortion declared, and as properly interpreted by the Tenth Amendment, those rights are guarded by the individual states. With this decision, abortion rights will now be properly decided by the people's elected representatives in their respective state legislatures, the place where rights not enumerated in the Constitution ought to be debated and decided.

I applaud the Supreme Court for siding with the Constitution and not giving in to the social and political pressures that sought to influence our Court's jurisprudence." 

MIAMI - Republican US Senator Marco Rubio released a statement following the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade.

"Today's decision by the Supreme Court to allow states to regulate abortion was right constitutionally and morally," Rubio said.
 
"For nearly half a century, a nation founded on God-given rights denied those rights to its most vulnerable citizens and more than 63 million Americans never got the chance to pursue their dreams," Rubio continued. 
 
"But we must not only continue to take steps to protect the unborn, we must also do more to support mothers and their babies. I will soon introduce a bill to ensure we do everything we can to give every child the opportunity to fully access the promise of America," Rubio concluded. 
 
In May, Rubio announced in a Washington Times op-ed he would introduce legislation to support mothers and their babies:
 
"At the very least, we need to dramatically expand the child tax credit for working families and allow new parents to pull some of their Social Security savings forward to finance time off of work. That alone will not be enough, though. Expectant mothers — especially those who are surprised by, and unprepared for, pregnancy — require additional support in the form of mentorship, counseling, medical care and more."  

MIAMI - Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson issued the following statement on the Supreme Court overturning the nearly fifty-year precedent of the Roe v. Wade decision.

"Today marks a dark day in our history for women, girls, and families all over the nation with the overturning of Roe's 50-year precedent. Let's be clear about what abortion access means for our communities: for millions, it has meant the ability to make choices about their own bodies. That choice should be left to no one else but the individual who will bear the child. Not the state, not unelected judges, and certainly not male legislators who have never felt the joy, pain, and challenges that come with carrying a pregnancy to term.

"The Roe decision extended a second chance for young women who were not yet ready to become mothers. It gave people of all social and economic statuses the ability and the agency to make those choices, regardless of which state they reside in. Today's decision will not end abortion, but it will limit who has access to safe and legal abortions, placing a greater burden on Black and minority women, families, and caretakers.

"While it seems that we've lost the battle, the war for reproductive freedoms is far from over. This is a setback to our greater goal of extending reproductive health access to every American, but there is a lot still at stake that we must protect. We need to ensure that birth control and emergency contraception remain available and accessible to everyone who needs it. We must continue to implore male reproductive care options so that the burden does not fall solely on women. We can expand reproductive education. And we should expand the Supreme Court to stop this tidal wave of delegitimizing decisions that go against the will and values of the American people.

"Abortion is health care. Abortion is a human right. And that right must be protected."

In May, Congresswoman Wilson published an op-ed in the Miami Herald calling out the hypocrisy of Florida Republicans are hypocrites, claiming to be 'pro-life' until the baby is born, and then refuse to support caretakers and families."

MIAMI - Democratic Rep. Kevin Chamblis, from Homestead, weighed in on the court's ruling. 

"It's clear that the US Supreme Court has ignored the reproductive rights of women to make a very personal decision with their bodies. This ruling sets this nation backward and will force many women, especially low-income women, to search for dangerous abortion options. Rather than allow a woman and her doctor to make the best decision for her, the Justices have decided to strip them of their rights and give the authority to the states to intrude into the wombs.  In states governed by Republicans, such as Florida, the choice to make abortion illegal will become political football that will hold women's rights hostage."  

MIAMI - Democratic Rep. Robin Bartleman said the decision is "devastating." 

 "As someone who was faced with the decision to end a much wanted pregnancy, I can tell you it is a deeply personal and painful decision. The idea that women, including my daughters, will no longer have the ability to make decisions about their bodies is devastating. Extreme legislatures will ban ALL abortions. I can't fathom a situation where a woman or child is raped and forced to carry a pregnancy, where the life of the mother is not taken into consideration. This is incomprehensible and sets a terrifying precedent."  

FORT LAUDERDALE - In a statement, Democratic Rep. Daryl Campbell called the decision to overturn Roe V. Wade a travesty.

"We expect our government to serve the vast and ever-growing landscape that is America, but this decision upends almost 50 years of established reproductive health rights in our country and represents a major pull backwards.

Today, every American should be saddened and upset at the regressive measures this court has taken. Reproductive rights and justice are inalienable rights of any human being, and when women are stripped of their control of their bodily autonomy, then everyone else's is also threatened. Until all of us are free, none of us are free!

This decision will harm the same people that are on the frontlines of regressive policies and judicial decisions, minority and low-income communities.

This is a direct attack on all WOMEN! The issue of abortion is not an isolated issue, but represents an intersectionality between individuals, families, and communities.

Like many, I am saddened by this decision, yet this has only strengthened my resolve to continue being an ally and engaging others to actively participate in this fight for reproductive rights and freedom!

Speak up, but most importantly, VOTE!"

MIAMI - Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava posted on Twitter that the fight will go on. 

"What we heard from our nation's highest court today is not a reflection of the America we know and love. My heart breaks for the women and girls of our nation, and the generations before us who sacrificed everything so we could hold the fundamental right to make safe, informed health decisions about our own bodies. 
 
This decision to overturn Roe v Wade is more than a reversal of 50 years of reproductive rights. It's a devastating assault on the personal, economic, and medical freedom of women in America and will endanger the health of too many, particularly the most vulnerable among us. This is a cruel step backwards for our nation and its impact will be felt for generations to come.  
 
To women and girls everywhere: Please know this is not the end – we will continue the long fight for the human rights we deserve with more urgency now than ever before. We did it once, we'll do it again."  

MIAMI - Gov. Ron DeSantis posted on Twitter that "By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Supreme Court has answered the prayers of millions upon millions of Americans."

"The prayers of millions have been answered. For nearly fifty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited virtually any meaningful pro-life protection, but this was not grounded in the text, history or structure of the Constitution. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people's role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts.

Florida will continue to defend its recently enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care, and child welfare." 

MIAMI - Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued the following statement on Supreme Court's decision.

"An extremist Supreme Court majority just turned women's bodies into government property, forcing pregnancy onto millions of women who now face horrific medical, financial, and emotional harm. It's a repulsive, immoral decision that erodes women's constitutional and human rights and shows just how dangerously out of step that extremist Republicans and their judicial picks are with most Americans. Overturning Roe v. Wade sets a dangerous precedent for upending other decisions that guarantee our rights to live and love as we choose. No personal rights are safe with this right-wing majority – only gun rights are. This radical Supreme Court bloc threatens every American's right to privacy and control of their own body."