A Day in Superior Court, the Day Roe vs. Wade Was Overturned
I was on duty in Worcester Superior Court when I saw the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs Wade. The decision wasn’t surprising. We knew it was coming. What was surprising was how shocking it still was that the fundamental right to control one’s body, and therefore one’s own life and destiny, was no longer protected. Walking through the courthouse, I saw young women newly vulnerable, and I wanted to say something to them. We looked at each other, me the lawyer in the suit with the briefcase, and them in their jeans and summer tops, with pretty earrings and a sudden, terrible shift in the sand under their feet. They were much more vulnerable than they had been when they walked in to court that morning.
I work with a lot of wonderful lawyers, defense attorneys and prosecutors alike, who are conscientious, respect the rule of law, and do their difficult jobs well. Every single one of them is a far better lawyer than the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade. And every single one of them, like me, works in our court system week after week, year after year, and knows the struggles folks are facing out there.
We all know that judges matter, but now we know they matter more than ever. In Massachusetts, 1 out of every 4 minors seeking an abortion needs the authorization of a Superior Court judge. Our law requires that anyone 15 or younger who wants an abortion must have the consent of at least one parent or adult guardian. If they cannot get that, they must have the authorization of a Superior Court judge.
I am 100% pro-choice. The abortion I had at 19 made my life possible. It made my education possible. It made my work possible. It made my daughter possible.
As your Governor’s Councilor, I will make sure all our judges are 100% pro-choice too. My opponent was endorsed by a pro-life organization in 2014. We must make sure that everyone who turns to our court system for authorization for an abortion appears before a Superior Court judge who, like me, is 100% pro-choice.
Later that day, I spoke at a rally in Concord. There were people there of all ages, women who had fought these battles in the pre-Roe era, and scared teenagers facing what we all now know is going to be a lifetime of fighting for our right to control our own bodies and our own lives.
We have a very winnable race on our hands. With your support, we will be in a position to make sure our reproductive healthcare rights are protected by the laws and the courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
Please make a contribution today on ActBlue The young women I saw in Superior Court the day Roe vs. Wade was overturned need you, and so do all of us.
Take care,
Mara
