Coral Springs City Commissioner Nancy Metayer and Vice Mayor Joshua Simmons.
By Bryan Boggiano
Vice Mayor Joshua Simmons and Commissioner Nancy Metayer voiced their opposition to the Supreme Court’s draft opinion of Roe v. Wade at Wednesday’s city commission meeting, warning that repealing the court case could have far-reaching implications for women and local residents.
On May 2, Politico released a draft majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito, which stated that Roe v. Wade “was egregiously wrong from the start” and called for the landmark ruling’s repeal.
Four other justices voted to repeal Roe v. Wade in the draft opinion, but they can change their votes prior to the final decision, which will likely be in June or July.
In October, both Simmons and Metayer voted in favor of a resolution that condemned anti-abortion laws such as those in Texas.
In his rebuttal of the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion, Simmons said that although the ruling is not final, it still raises concerns for him about women’s reproductive freedom and privacy.
“If someone doesn’t want to have an abortion, they don’t have to have one,” he said. “Everybody should have the choice to do what they need to do for themselves.”
Simmons also said that men are not in a place to regulate women’s bodies or their rights. He said that women should have the final authority over their bodies and healthcare control, regardless of religious or political beliefs.
“Any time a man is telling a woman what she can or cannot do is just emphatically wrong,” he said. “We need to be uplifting women and giving women every single ounce of respect and dignity they deserve….”
Simmons warned that if Roe v. Wade were repealed, women could seek unsafe methods of obtaining an abortion, which would be dangerous.
He believes that the Roe w. Wade opinion is part of an erosion of rights and freedoms for different minority groups.
“If something’s that thought to be settled law…can be turned over…there could be many other groups…that could be under attack,” he said. “We’re supposed to be a more inclusive society.”
Metayer weighed in further, saying that the draft opinion if enacted into law, would disenfranchise and disempower women.
“This draft opinion is yet another attack on the fundamental rights of women,” she said.
She said that while Roe v. Wade protects the right to choose, the right to privacy that it guarantees is also important.
Similar to Simmons, Metayer said that overturning the court case would have far-reaching implications.
“The overturning of Roe v. Wade puts all Americans at risk,” she said. “That means Americans that live in Florida, Broward County, and even Coral Springs.”
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