Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick's Statement on SCOTUS Decision to Overturn Roe v. Wade:

With today’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court has declared war on American women. This reckless decision by the radical conservatives on the Court will send much of the US backwards a half century to a time when women lacked the right to control their own bodies, and dangerous illegal abortions killed or injured thousands of women. 

I’m furious that millions of women will now be forced by the Supreme Court and politicians in conservative states into making medical decisions against their will. These severe limits on people’s rights are immoral and un-American.

Congress must take swift action. The US Senate must overturn the filibuster and pass legislation to protect the healthcare and reproductive rights of all women in America. If that cannot be done, President Biden and Congress should work to ensure that states that choose to dictate healthcare decisions to women find their flow of federal dollars restricted. In the meantime, New York State is doing all that we can to create a safe haven and ensure that women here will never lose their constitutional rights. I will continue the fight.