For Women, Despair And Joy As Overturning Of Roe Appears Imminent

The news rippled across the country like a shock wave, passing through living rooms, bedrooms, dinner conversations and university dorms, leaving American women in disbelief.

Could the Supreme Court really be preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago? Suddenly, with the unprecedented leak of a draft opinion in the case, the notion went from an abstract possibility to an imminent one.

Lauren Book said that when she heard the news, she sat her 5-year-old daughter on her lap, held her close and began to weep.

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh, my God,’ ” said Book, 37, a Democratic state senator in Florida. “This is a different world for her.”

By contrast, Suzanne Abdalla, who works for a construction company in Michigan, said she was overcome with relief and a burst of energy. “It has been hard to live in a world where ending human lives is considered a good solution to women’s problems,” said Abdalla, 48.

- washingtonpost