New York Attorney General Letitia James publicly revealed that she underwent an abortion shortly after being elected to public office nearly two decades ago, telling abortion-rights activists in New York City on Tuesday that she makes “no apologies to anyone.”
James, 63, had just won a seat on New York’s city council ― the start of a trailblazing public career for women and Blacks ― when she came to the issue of abortion “in a very personal way,” she said.
“I was in this place,” she emotionally told activists who gathered in response to a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion suggesting the court may overturn the Roe v. Wade landmark making abortion a constitutional right.
“I was just elected and I was faced with the decision whether to have an abortion or not. And I chose to have an abortion. I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood,” she continued amid loud cheers and applause. “And I make no apologies to anyone. To no one.”
James was elected to city council in 2003 and served for nearly a decade. She was elected New York City public advocate in 2013, becoming the first Black woman to hold a citywide office. In 2018, when she was elected New York attorney general, she became the first Black person and first woman to hold the position. Among her highest-profile cases is an ongoing civil probe into former President Donald Trump’s business practices.
“We will not go backwards,” James told thousands of demonstrators gathered Tuesday, vowing to fight any reversal of women’s rights.
The leaked Supreme Court abortion opinion isn’t final and is subject to change before the court formally issues a decision in the next two months.
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