Some celebrate, others mourn on 1-year anniversary of Dobbs ruling
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Anti-abortion rights advocates plan to march and rally after a Mass in Philadelphia Saturday, celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
The ruling overturned the nearly 50-year-old Roe v. Wade decision and led to the shuttering of clinics in states where abortion was outlawed, longer wait times in states where it remains legal, and made abortion effectively inaccessible in many parts of the country, CBS News reports.
Supporters of the pro-life movement in our area are observing the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that eliminated the federal constitutional right to abortion.
The rally is beginning Saturday morning outside the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
The march will move from the cathedral to Independence Mall where a rally will take place.
The Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania is having what they're calling the state's largest baby shower.
"We are celebrating the one-year anniversry of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe and Casey which means that for the first time in 50 years, we have a path to make abortion illegal and unthinkable in Pennsylvania," Ashley Garecht of the Pro-Life Coalition of Pennsylvania said. "We're here today to celebrate that, to look forward and recognize what we need to do."
Garecht said the baby shower will collect thousands of items to send to mothers in the region.
"We're here to protect life, every single human life from the moment of conception," Garecht added.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden marked the anniversary by rallying support for abortion rights. He signed an executive order strengthening access to birth control pills through the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid services.
As abortion rights is a hot-button issue, both sides are trying to rally support leading up to the 2024 presidential election.
"I know I'm 198 years old, but all kidding aside, think about that. I never, ever thought I would be signing an executive order protecting the right to contraception," Biden said.
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is running for the 2024 Republican nomination, said:
"The cause of life is the calling of our time and we must not rest and we must not relent until we restore the sanctity of life to the center of American law in every state in this country."
Last year, CBS News Philadelphia spoke to local groups who reacted to the Supreme Court's decision.
"Abortion is essential necessary health care that's a part of comprehensive health, but this is about control of people's bodily autonomy and not trusting them that they know what's right for them," Dr. Aishat Olatunde with Physicians for Reproductive Health said.
Abortion remains legal in all states of our region - Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. All three states are controlled by Democratic governors.
"As long as I'm your Governor, abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible in Pennsylvania," Gov. Josh Shapiro tweeted Saturday.
A year ago, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — and in state across the country, abortion access and reproductive freedom has been under attack.
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) June 24, 2023
But as long as I’m your Governor, abortion will remain safe, legal, and accessible in Pennsylvania.
Experts have said the ruling may mean access will be harder in our region.
"I would anticipate that getting an appointment for care may be more difficult given that people from other states might decide to travel here for abortion care," Drexel University associate legal professor Lisa Tucker said in 2022.
Dayle Steinberg, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania, released a statement Friday ahead of the anniversary of the Dobbs decision. It said in part:
One year has passed since the Supreme Court abandoned its duty to protect fundamental rights. The devastating ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ignored fifty years of precedent and handed states the power to ban abortion. This has resulted in a national healthcare crisis.
We've seen the horrific impact of stripping millions of their right to make their own personal medical decisions without government interference. Patients are confused, fearful and desperate. Doctors have been forced to ignore medical guidelines and put patients' lives at risk in order to comply with dangerous abortion bans.
PPSP continues to provide abortion care and is "committed to ensuring access for all," Steinberg's statement continued.
Dobbs decision's impact
A year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, the nation is facing a shortage of OB-GYN doctors. That shortage is only expected to worsen in the coming years as states' abortion restrictions influence medical students' decisionmaking on what to practice, CBS News reports.
A new CBS News poll found 57% of Americans were not happy with the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling.
Among those who said overturning Roe v. Wade has been bad for the country, 86% said the health and lives of women are more at risk. Among the 43% of pro-life Americans who said the decision was good for the country, 86% said the unborn are protected.
The poll results are similar to what Americans were saying prior to the Dobbs ruling.