SAN DIEGO — The Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday. The ruling is sending shockwaves and fear through the LGBTQ+ community.
This comes after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said the court should reconsider future cases involving LGBTQ+ rights.
“Folks are rightfully terrified, I mean we’re talking about criminalizing one of the most vital, important, and devastating decisions a person might have to make in their entire life,” said Fernando Lopez, executive director of San Diego Pride.
Lopez called the court's ruling infuriating and said it could have a direct impact on the LGBTQ community.
"Reproductive justice impacts the LGBTQ community as well. Reproductive rights are LGBTQ rights, they are connected," said Lopez. "I believe our community understands that very deeply and we know the way our rights are connected so deeply, that when this decision came down today [Friday], the LGBTQ community was shaken to its core.”
Thomas suggested the court should reconsider same sex marriage and birth control rights in future decisions.
“Folks don’t realize that it was not even 20 years ago when we decriminalized LGBT relationships in the United States, less than 20 years ago, and what Clarence Thomas did today was say that those issues are up for debate. He is literally talking about recriminalizing the LGBTQ community,” said Lopez.
Lopez said he believes the court's overturning of precedent and previously settled law won't just stop at abortion.
“This is not new, we are not ‘newly’ a target, we have been a target. And what we’re seeing right now happen with the Supreme Court and with hundreds of pieces of anti LGBT, anti-trans pieces of legislation all over the country, it's decades long,” said Lopez.
WATCH RELATED: Legal expert Dan Eaton explains implications of the overturn of Roe v. Wade (June 2022).