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Vermont leaders responded to the U.S. Supreme Courts’ ruling on Friday overturning Roe v. Wade. Among the statements:

U.S. Sen. Bernie SandersSix Supreme Court justices, including some who in their nomination hearings called the case ‘important precedent,’ today did exactly what the American people did not want and overturned Roe v. Wade. In the year 2022 they have made the outrageous and reactionary assertion that women in our country should not be able to control their own bodies. This decision cannot be allowed to stand. If Republicans can end the filibuster to install right wing judges to overturn Roe v. Wade, Democrats can and must end the filibuster, codify Roe v. Wade, and make abortion legal and safe. That is exactly what we must do NOW.

U.S. Rep. Peter WelchThe choice to end a pregnancy is personal. It is a choice that should be made by a patient, with her doctor, and her loved ones, not by the unelected members of any court or by an elected official. The overturning of Roe v Wade by the Supreme Court is the biggest attack on women’s rights in a generation and will rob women of their right to chart their own futures, for themselves and for their families. This decision is a disgrace. I am angry, and I am worried for the health and wellbeing of women across this country who are no longer guaranteed their reproductive freedom. But we cannot be consumed by despair. We have to keep fighting to protect abortion access for all American women, regardless of where they live.

Senate President Pro Tem Becca BalintToday is a dark day in our nation’s history. As a woman, a mother, and a legislator, I cannot think of a greater violation of bodily autonomy than politicians or judges restricting individuals’ private reproductive health care decisions. This decision is cruel, dehumanizing, and dangerous. It does not reflect the will of the majority of Americans who deeply value maintaining control of their bodies, their lives, and their futures. This Court has now lost its legitimacy. With McConnell’s partisan manipulations, Trump installed 3/6 justices that voted to gut reproductive rights today. They said they believed in precedent. They lied.

Lt. Gov. Molly GrayToday will go down as a tragic day in the fight for human rights and women’s rights. Never in my lifetime has an established fundamental right been stripped away. SCOTUS has failed spectacularly in its duty to protect and uphold the constitutional precedent. Every Vermonter and American is owed the right to reproductive liberty, and here in Vermont, we will do everything in our power to protect it. Vermonters will always step forward when our country steers off course. It’s time, again, for us to be a north star for the nation, to stand together and lead the way toward a safer and more just future for all.”

Brenda Siegel, Democratic candidate for GovernorI am grieving. I am grieving the loss of reproductive rights. I’m grieving for the people who are fearful for their futures. I’m grieving for those who feel like their lives are irreparably changed due to this decision. My heart is aching for the loss of our rights and our freedoms, and most importantly for all of our children. {/span}Reproductive liberty is the floor of freedom for people with reproductive organs. I experienced a reproductive emergency this past year and learned just how little research that we have, because we spend so much time controlling the fundamental decision about when to have a family. I taught countless young women who consistently feared this day and I can’t stop thinking about all their faces and how we could we not stop this from happening to them. But here in Vermont, we can stand strong. We can, and we will, pass Prop 5 — the reproductive liberty amendment — this November and show the country that no matter what, our state stands to protect the rights of those in our community who have reproductive organs. We can and will elect leaders who fight in public for reproductive freedom and we must help support those across the country who have lost their rights. We owe it to those we love.”

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