Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC protests planned in wake of bombshell Roe v. Wade report
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published May 3, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Katherine Hernandez / Gothamist
By
Gwynne Hogan
Published May 3, 2022
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
New Yorkers are gearing up to march in the streets Tuesday, in the wake of a draft Supreme Court decision that could upend nearly a half century of legal precedent and erode people’s rights to access abortion.
Politico reported Monday night the U.S. Supreme Court had voted to overturn Roe. V. Wade, according to a draft of the conservative majority’s opinion that was shared within the court and obtained by the outlet. While the decision could still change in the coming months, the news sent shockwaves across Democrat-leaning New York.
By Tuesday morning, pro-choice advocates were gearing up for marches in Foley Square at 5 p.m. Tuesday and Barclays Center at 7 p.m. the same night.
Some members of New York’s congressional delegation including Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Carolyn Maloney and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called on Democrats to eliminate the filibuster in order to push forward reproductive protections on a federal level.
The landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision by the U.S. Supreme Court determined abortion was protected by the Constitution, citing a person’s right to personal privacy as protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments. But with conservative justices now firmly in the majority, the draft opinion reported Monday night offered a radically different interpretation.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” the opinion, reportedly authored by Justice Samuel Alito, read, referring also to a 1992 decision that further enshrined abortion rights and found people should not face “undue burden” or a “substantial obstacle” when seeking an abortion.
“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” he wrote.
If the decisions are overturned when the court issues its official ruling in the coming months, roughly two-dozen states could move to outlaw abortion altogether, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. The ruling wouldn’t make abortion illegal, rather it punts the decision back down to the states, where many Republican-led legislatures have been pushing for measures to restrict abortion access for years.
In New York, lawmakers passed the Reproductive Health Act in 2019 that codified abortion protections into state law, in anticipation of potential rollbacks to to Roe on the federal level. But some lawmakers say there’s more the state can do to protect people who become pregnant in New York.
State Sen. Julia Salazar pointed to bills from State Sens. Liz Krueger and Alessandra Biaggi that would provide legal protections to abortion providers and set up a state abortion access fund.
In a statement with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the potential ruling “the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years,” though the two declined to say what moves the Democrats intended to take if the Supreme Court overturns Roe.
Tagged
abortion
roe v. wade
supreme court
Gwynne Hogan
Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police identify 2 men wanted for stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer
D’Angelo Caraballo and Sneider Mejia are wanted on several charges, including attempted murder.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 6, 2026 at 11:05 a.m. ET
NYC’s autumn foliage will be a fall feast this year
A rainy fall will intensify autumn foliage colors, making them last longer, too.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
NYC’s autumn foliage will be a fall feast this year
A rainy fall will intensify autumn foliage colors, making them last longer, too.
By
Rosemary Misdary
NY officials worry migrants will skip healthcare amid fed policy change
By
Caroline Lewis
Early Addition: Spy magazine is doing a Substack pop-up
By
James Ramsay
Bronx woman found dead and infant in critical condition after balcony push, NYPD says
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .