WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Reaction to the news leaked out of the Supreme Court — which suggests the high court will overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion nationwide — has been swift around South Florida.
The news is welcomed by those against abortion and devastating to those who are supportive of women’s right to choose.
At the Planned Parenthood center in West Palm Beach, there seemed to be little surprise Tuesday.
"We knew that this could be coming. We’ve been sending the warning signals just this year," said Laurie Goodhue with the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates.
Planned Parenthood has 20 health centers in Florida, 15 of which offer abortion services.
For Goodhue, the draft ruling from the Supreme Court, while not final, is something she said will disproportionately hurt women, much in the way it did 50 years ago.
"People with the means, people with money, will travel to other states, to New York and out of the country, to get an abortion. Those people will still have access to legal abortion. It's people most in need, left out of our health care system," Goodhue said.
Yet on the other side of the abortion debate, there is a sense of relief over the opinions of five Supreme Court justices who support striking down Roe.
"Conservatives looking at this realize it’s a state’s rights issue," said Karyn Turk, a conservative activist, author, and TV host based in West Palm Beach.
Turk believes if the court decision is confirmed, at least half the states, including Florida, will ban abortion.
"I do think the states fall in line with what the country is actually demanding, that there will be more restriction abortion laws. And I think a lot of people are hopeful for that because it has gone too far."
The draft decision is not final, and we won’t know for certain for several weeks.