Live updates: Ventura County reacts to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

Cheri Carlson, Ventura County Star
·9 min read

Some in Ventura County were devastated and vowed to fight for change after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade Friday, ending the nation’s constitutional protections for abortion in place nearly 50 years.

Others celebrated the 6-3 ruling.

Here's what local residents and lawmakers had to say about the decision.

More on the ruling:

– Refresh for the latest news and photos from around the county.

A 'fundamental shift'

3:30 p.m.: Steven Auclair, chair of the Ventura County Democratic Party, said he hopes the ruling drives more Democrats to vote in the November election. He worries the Supreme Court could issue rulings on same-sex marriage and a litany of civil rights.

“I just feel that there is this fundamental shift,” he said.

– Tom Kisken

Ruling felt 'like a death'

3:15 p.m.: Linda Beck Kuban, co-founder of Women United For Change, said Friday's ruling felt like a death that was long expected but still triggers devastation and outrage when it finally comes.

“What is lost is that women’s standing in society is now questioned,” said Kuban, who lives in Agoura Hills. “We are being dictated on what we can and can’t do.”

– Tom Kisken

More: House passes historic gun safety bill, sends reform package to Biden to become law

Medi-Cal coverage continues

2:50 p.m.: Medi-Cal health plans will continue to cover reproductive health services, including abortions, state officials said Friday.

Private health insurance plans regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care and Medi-Cal health plans under contract by the Department of Health Care Services must continue the coverage, according to the state.

Californians may contact 1-888-466-2219 if a health plan denies, changes, or delays medical services.

Ruling does not 'outlaw abortion'

2:15 p.m.: Dale Thomas of the Westlake Village Republican Women Federated was “very pleased" with the ruling.

"This does not outlaw abortion,” said Thomas, president of the group. “It turns it back to our elected officials."

Nancy Van Vokienberg, also a group member, said she doesn't see the issue as black and white. But it is not a constitutional right and should be decided at the state level, she said.

– Victoria Talbot

'Unmitigated joy'

1:30 p.m.: The decision doesn’t eliminate abortion or strip people of their rights, said Michele Loughman, executive director of Life Centers of Ventura County, which offers pregnancy counseling and medical care. Rather, it puts the decision into the hands of individual states where it belongs.

“Unmitigated joy,” she said of the ruling. “This is a great day for America.”

– Tom Kisken

Change could drive young voters to polls

1:15 p.m.: Abortion rights may become a wedge issue driving young voters to the polls, said Haco Hoang, a political science professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

"This is going to be a real big issue for young women voters,” she said. “They've only lived in a world in which there was Roe v. Wade.”

Regardless of their position, this becomes a real tangible issue for them, she said.

California at forefront of abortion rights

12:45 p.m.: A proposed amendment to the California Constitution that would explicitly ban the state from denying or interfering with abortions or contraceptives may show up on the November ballot.

Lawmakers need voters to approve the amendment before it can become law. The soonest that could happen is November. But first the Associated Press reports the state Legislature must approve it by a two-thirds vote.

California already has garnered the distinction of being the state that goes furthest to allow easy access to abortion, according to this CalMatters report. Read how the state got to this point here.

Planned Parenthood reports no disturbances

12:15 p.m.: No disturbances had been reported in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling at Planned Parenthood sites in Ventura, Oxnard and Thousand Oaks, said Jenna Tosh, CEO of the organization’s California Central Coast region.

She emphasized the Supreme Court ruling won’t affect abortion rights in California. Providers will likely see an increase in demand if other states ban procedures. Still, she called it a devastating day.

“It’s shocking to see the Supreme Court take away the federal right to abortion,” she said. “The vast majority of Americans disagree with this ruling.”

– Tom Kisken

State officials: Abortion care covered by most insurance

12 p.m.: California law is clear that abortion care is basic health care and covered by most insurance, state officials said Friday.

The Department of Insurance released answers to frequently asked questions in response to the court overturning Roe v. Wade. The full list is available here.

Policyholders who need help understanding their coverage may contact the department at 1-800-927-4357.

More: Will Roe v. Wade angst affect June primary in county? Here's what we know

Anti-abortion protestor stands outside Planned Parenthood

11:45 a.m.: Patricio Gonzalez stood alone outside the Planned Parenthood building in Thousand Oaks Friday. He wore a "Pray to End Abortion" T-shirt and had anti-abortion placards.

“It’s very good news,” Gonzalez, 60, said about the court ruling. “We have to fight it incrementally because this problem is so big.”

– Mike Harris

Ventura, Conejo protests planned

11:30 a.m.: Indivisible Conejo posted two local locations where protests are scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

“The People Are Supreme” protests are expected to happen at Westlake and Thousand Oaks boulevards in the Conejo Valley and at the Ventura County Government Center in Ventura.

According to the tweet, the group says it will be gathering to urge Congress to ratify abortion rights, enact real gun reform and expand the U.S. Supreme Court.

Supervisor Ramirez responds to ruling

11:15 a.m.: County Supervisor Carmen Ramirez responded to the Supreme Court ruling on Twitter Friday, saying she refused to be a second-class human being, with gun rights more important than human rights.

More: California among states prepping for more patients if Roe v. Wade is overturned

Sheriff to keep tabs on any large gatherings

10:40 a.m.: Ventura County Sheriff's Capt. Ron Chips said the agency was keeping tabs on whether any large gatherings develop, but as of 10:30 a.m. none had materialized.

Some demonstrations did crop up after the decision was previously leaked, he said, adding there was no indication anything violent might arise in the wake of Friday's news.

Oak Park mom: 'It's insulting'

10:30 a.m.: Jodi Pfleger "totally, 100%" disagreed with Friday's court ruling.

"I believe in a woman’s right to choose," said the 64-year-old, who was sitting outside a bookstore at a Thousand Oaks shopping plaza Friday. “I think that all of the states should be able to give women the right to choose and obviously that’s not going to be the case going forward."

Sitting nearby, Orietta Gonzalez, 38, also disagreed with the ruling.

“It’s insulting that we have no right over our reproductive bodies,” the stay-at-home mom from Oak Park said.

– Mike Harris

Events planned nationwide

10:20 a.m.: A national campaign called "Bans Off Our Bodies" has released a list of events planned in response to the court ruling, including in Ventura.

Find the map here.

Garcia: Abortion rights now a state issue

10 a.m.: Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Santa Clarita, said Friday's ruling allows states to decide abortion laws.

"The only thing that the Supreme Court determined today is that the constitutional path to legislate on this issue is now at the state level," Garcia said in a news release.

The ruling would not change access to abortions in California, he said, urging those concerned about abortion rights to contact state elected officials in Sacramento.

More: Where the abortion fight goes from here: Roe overruled but the battle will continue

Police: No reports of protests

9:50 a.m.: Oxnard Police Cmdr. Luis McArthur said he was not aware of any protests in the city Friday morning.

He walked to Plaza Park in downtown Oxnard and had officers visit the Collection shopping center. They saw no one gathering at those spots.

Police would monitor the situation throughout the day in case of any large gatherings, he said.

Court ruling 'a call to action'

9:30 a.m.: Rep. Salud Carbajal, D-Santa Barbara, called the ruling "a betrayal of our Constitution and a betrayal of millions of women."

"As more than half of all U.S. states stand ready to eradicate women’s reproductive rights in the wake of this decision, the majority of Americans who support a woman’s right to choose must see this as a call to action," he said in a statement released Friday.

House lawmakers passed the Women’s Health Protection Act, to codify a woman’s right to an abortion into law, in September. Carbajal co-sponsored the legislation.

Lawmakers react to Roe v. Wade ruling

9 a.m.: Congresswoman Julia Brownley Friday called the Supreme Court ruling "deeply disappointing," saying its impacts will be dangerous and risk people’s lives.

“Today’s decision is a targeted attack on Americans’ rights to make decisions for their bodies, their lives, and their future," she said in a news release.

State Sen. Monique Limon, D-Santa Barbara, said Friday she remains committed to protecting reproductive health care options in California.

“Today’s announcement confirms the fears of millions of Americans as we witness a woman’s right to control her own reproductive choices be shredded by the Supreme Court," she said in a news release. "As we continue to navigate this territory, it is so important that we reaffirm our investments for reproductive care in California – as we have for decades."

The Associated Press and USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Live: Ventura County reacts to landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision