NY officials react after Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade

NEW YORK (WHEC) — Top New York State officials, including U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Gov. Kathy Hocul, and Attorney General Letitia James, said that the U.S. Supreme Court’s striking down of Roe v. Wade was a step in the wrong direction.

With the ruling, the Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years. Friday’s outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. Even with the ruling, abortion will still be legal in New York State.

State Senator Samra Brouk who represents Rochester said she was angry with the decision.

CompassCare, a pro-life pregnancy center with offices statewide including Rochester, applauded the decision. CompassCare said a pro-choice extremist group vandalized and deliberately set fire to its office in Buffalo. The FBI is investigating the fire as arson.

Gov. Hochul signed six bills to protect abortion on June 13, including a bill to prevent the extradition of someone to another state for prosecution if they get an abortion in New York. The bills were in addition to the state providing $35 million for people out-of-state who are seeking an abortion in New York.

RELATED: Both sides of Roe v. Wade debate in Rochester

Gov. Hochul said abortion should be a fundamental human right and New York will support people who chose to have an abortion despite the ruling.

"Today the Supreme Court rolled back the rights of millions of Americans, disregarding their interests and — more importantly — their lives," Hochul said.

Today the Supreme Court rolled back the rights of millions of Americans, disregarding their interests and — more importantly — their lives.

Access to abortion is a fundamental human right, and it remains safe, accessible, and legal in New York.

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) June 24, 2022

Attorney General James said New York will always be a safe haven for abortion seekers. James said she will work with low-income New Yorkers and people from hostile states who want an abortion.

“Today’s ruling is a vicious, dangerous, and deliberate attack on our most basic freedom as humans. Every single person in this country should have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies," James said. "…I will always fight to protect our right to make decisions about our own bodies and expand access to this critical and lifesaving care.”

Senator Gillibrand said the ruling was more of a political, rather than a legal decision. She called the ruling a step backward for women’s rights.

“Today is a devastating day for all Americans. Today, more than half of the American population became second-class citizens, stripped of their constitutional right to privacy and bodily autonomy, regardless of where they live," Gillibrand said.

"This ruling proves that our judicial system no longer represents the will of the American people and no longer represents logic, science, or equal justice under the law."

State Senator Samra Brouk said she’s angry at the ruling and she remains committed to reproductive rights through her role as an elected official.

"I, and countless women across the nation, are filled with rage, sadness, and fear. Today’s decision out of the Supreme Court is an egregious attack on human rights," Brouk said.

"Every American should be outraged—if not for the attack on bodily autonomy and privacy, for the lack of impartiality in our nation’s highest court."

CompassCare CEO Jim Harden said the Supreme Court ruling enhanced rights.

“It is not, nor has it ever been, the role of government to fabricate rights," Harden said. "The rights government creates will ultimately collide with the rights God creates."