Leaders from Poconos react to Roe v. Wade draft ruling leaked to Politico

Supreme Court justices are poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, according to the first draft of a majority opinion published by Politico late Monday evening.

"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start," wrote Associate Justice Samuel Alito. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled."The draft doesn't constitute an official ruling, but its contents spurred immediate debate over the fate of women's access to abortions in America. The Pocono Record and Tri-County Independent reached out to community leaders across the region to get their perspective on the draft and its implications.

Should the leaked decision to overturn Roe v. Wade remain intact through the Court's final decision, "It's just going to put more people in danger," said Michele Minor Wolf, Executive Director of the Victims' Intervention Program of Wayne and Pike Counties (VIP).An overturn of Roe v. Wade won't necessarily stop abortions from happening, said Wolf. But without a legal, medical means of receiving services those abortions which do happen pose a more serious health risk to the women receiving them.

Live updatesJoe Biden responds to Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade

This is especially problematic as it concerns reproductive coercion, an act by which an abuser forces a pregnant woman to either carry a baby to term or abort the pregnancy against her will. In the case of the latter, where an abuser forces a woman to abort her child, it is likely the abuser will resort to more dangerous means of abortion with no legal or medical option available. This could physically harm the pregnant woman in addition to the emotional trauma she would already receive from being forced to abort, said Wolf.On the other side of reproductive coercion is when a woman is forced to carry a pregnancy to term she does not want. Removing her choice to decide for herself creates emotional trauma. It is especially traumatic if the child is the result of rape, said Wolf.Wolf explained VIP's stance regarding abortions is that of choice and education. "Whatever victimization led someone to us, their choice was taken away," said Wolf. "Women should be able to make their own decisions about their bodies. If someone comes in, we provide information and resources for both sides so they can make a well-informed decision."

Representative Rosemary Brown (R- Monroe/Pike) questioned the legitimacy of the leak in a statement to the Pocono Record less than an hour before the Supreme Court confirmed its authenticity.

"The responsible path is to see what, if any, action the Supreme Court actually takes moving forward rather than drive divisive, political rhetoric," she said.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the Supreme Court confirmed that the draft was “authentic” but added that “it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”

Rosemary Brown had not yet responded to a request for additional comment at the time of press.

“We at the Court are blessed to have a workforce — permanent employees and law clerks alike — intensely loyal to the institution and dedicated to the rule of law. Court employees have an exemplary and important tradition of respecting the confidentiality of the judicial process and upholding the trust of the Court,” Chief Justice John Roberts said.

He called the leak “a singular and egregious breach of that trust” and directed the Marshal of the Court to open an investigation.

As a mother and pastor of the Greater Shiloh Church in Stroudsburg, Selena Brown is in a unique position.

"I'm pro-life all day long," she said. "But I think it's very dangerous when I no longer have a choice, as a woman, what I can and cannot do with my body."

While she "absolutely" does not believe in abortion, Selena Brown said she does believe in a woman's right to choose. Stripping those rights away will have collateral damage, she said, calling the current political climate a "very dangerous space" to be in.

"If you don't think some desperate young girl is going to go back to the the coat hanger form method of abortion, you're sadly mistaken," said representative Maureen Madden (D-115).

She believes that overturning Roe v. Wade won't stop people from getting abortions; it'll stop them from undergoing safe abortions, should they lack the means to travel to a state where it remains protected. The change, she warned, would disproportionately impact women in poverty.

She felt hopeless when she saw the headline first, Madden said. Now, she feels enraged. She called the draft "an opportunity for women of all ages and races to stand together and beat back this horribly misogynistic bill."

"I mean, look at the makeup of the Supreme Court. Look at who is voting for this," she said. "All men with the exception of Amy Coney Barrett."

Reporters also reached out to Senator Lisa Baker (R-20, Luzerne, Pike, Susquehanna, Wayne and Wyoming) for comment but did not hear back by press time.

From 2020:Anti-abortion activists kick off '#ConfirmAmy' tour in Scranton

From 2017:Planned Parenthood: Part of 'the solution, not the problem' in the Poconos

Christa Caceres, the president of the Monroe County NAACP, said the extreme conservative views harbored by those on the Supreme Court do not represent the views of every American. It'll take a concerted effort during the upcoming elections to correct course.

“We're just at a real real tipping point, in terms of what this country will look like in a matter of months," she said. "Elections have consequences. Local elections have consequences.”

She urged voters to pay attention whether their representatives act in the interest of the public or their party, and vote accordingly.

Like Madden and Caceres, Stroudsburg Mayor Tarah Probst said the draft is deeply upsetting, but not surprising.

“I think these justices were chosen to do what they're doing right now,” Probst, a Democrat, said. “To think that they're going to overturn it makes me sick."

"I had a pit in my stomach last night," she added. "I'm really worried."

Rabbi Peg Kershenbaum of Congregation B'nai Harim in Pocono Pines feels "the more we talk about it, the more they are going to feel forced to overturn Roe v. Wade, and I think that would be terrible.""I feel that Roe v. Wade was an important decision that should stand," said Kershenbaum. "Women should have the right to an abortion and the country and even its religious leaders should not have a veto over that personal decision. If a woman is motivated by her religious feelings, so be it, but she should not be compelled by anybody else."

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Pocono leaders react to Roe v. Wade draft ruling leaked to Politico