Novato woman sees fight to preserve Roe v. Wade as personal

NOVATO (KPIX) — California lawmakers are making it clear — even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, they will protect reproductive rights in the state.

To Novato resident Meg Jordan, the fight for reproductive rights is personal. When she learned the Supreme Court may move to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision, she says felt it physically.

“My heart sank in that moment, because I had this vivid memory of what I saw in 1968. And that was an illegal abortion,” she said. “This was a friend of mine. We raised $700 or $800 for her. She had to be in a hotel room in which the assistant came in first, laid down this plastic on the bed, and blindfolded her.”

The Roe v. Wade decision changed the landscape in 1973. Three years later, Jordan would have a legal abortion.

“I had a legal abortion in 1976. It was with my boyfriend – he went with me. It was at my gynecologist’s office in Denver. It was safe, it was legal, and I never regretted it for a moment,” Jordan  remembered. “No woman goes into an abortion with a sense of glee.”

Jordan believes if the Supreme Court does in fact overturn Roe v. Wade, and allows states to make abortions illegal, all it will do is stop women from getting safe abortions.

“It’s never stopped abortions all through history. And now that you’ve had 50 years of safe and legal abortions, it’s definitely not going to stop them,” Jordan said. “A right that’s been established for 50 years that multiple generations have become accustomed to, that my own daughter’s generation was born into – stripping that away, to me, is a heinous crime.”

On Friday, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D)(CA-18) urged the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade. The Senate is slated to vote on this next week.

“Never before has this happened in our country. A right taken away,” Eshoo said. “Reproductive choice is personal. It’s private. It’s serious. We should trust women to make those decisions.”

On Friday, other elected officials, many of whom are in states that would ban abortions, doubled down on their support to overturn Roe v. Wade.

“I think those decisions should be made by the elected representatives of the people back in those various states. And I think that’s the correct answer,” said Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn.

Jordan tells KPIX 5, she thinks the decision should be left to the individual.

“Boy I wish I could sit down with each one of them and talk about what I experienced in 1968 with an illegal abortion,” she said. “No matter where you stand on the issue, you’ve got to be able to allow people choice over their own bodies. That’s where I really stand on this. You’re against abortion? Fine, never have one. But you can’t be against choice for other people and their lives.”