Friday, June 24 — Area public figures have continued to issue strong condemnations of the U.S. Supreme Court decision levied today against abortion rights. They include the following taken from a variety of media, including social media, sources:

U.S. Rep. Donald S. Beyer Jr. stated, “Today’s ruling from a right wing Supreme Court majority is a dark moment for America … It says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights. They don’t care, because the goal is government control of women’s bodies. The right wing justices knew that their ruling would force women against their will to have children who were the product of rape or incest. This, too, is already happening … Republicans will use this decision to criminalize essential health care for women.” (from Twitter)

Falls Church City Councilman David Snyder: “So, according to this Supreme Court whose majority is only in place as a result of rank political manipulation, the Constitution dictates that state governments can tell a woman what she can do with her own body but state and local governments can’t protect their citizens against armed mayhem,” Snyder said. “If this is not savaging the Constitution and the intent of the founders, I do not know what is.” (from the Washingtonian)

Arlington Commonwealth Attorney Parisa Dehghani-Tafti (whose jurisdiction includes Falls Church): “Currently, there’s no law in Virginia that criminalizes women who seek care and their doctors who provide them and I strongly urge the General Assembly not to go down the disastrous path of introducing the criminal legal system into such deeply personal medical decisions.

“It would be wrong for us to prosecute women in Arlington and the City of Falls Church. My position has not changed.”