Local activists react to Supreme Court decision

Carol Alexander was a freshman in college when she found out she was pregnant.

“What I was told, the only option that made sense was to have an abortion, because I wanted to protect my future,” said Carol Alexander, board member of the Tampa Pro-Life Alliance, at Spectrum News. “I ended up crying the rest of the night. My mum said, ‘What are you going to do?’ and I said, ‘Ma, I don’t think I can do this.’ she replied, ‘Let’s have the baby then.'”

It’s a decision that changed her life, but it’s also a decision she doesn’t regret. She considers motherhood as the passion of her life.

“I’m a mom and a grandmother,” she said.

The Supreme Court issued an opinion on Friday that overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman’s right to privacy to have abortion-related discussions and actions with her doctor without state interference.

Alexander serves on the board of the Tampa Bay Pro-Life Alliance alongside Phylls Esposito. She says the nonprofit group’s goal is to help pregnant women by giving them pre- and post-pregnancy resources.

“A lot of women just need to know that there are other options, that they will be supported in their choice,” Alexander said.

Esposito said some made the decision to give their children up for adoption instead.

“Abortion affects women too,” she said. “We don’t want women to be hurt for years after the abortion.”

They say the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade will give states the right to make their own decisions on the matter.

“We’re talking about human life, we’re talking about human beings in the womb,” Alexander said. “For states that would recognize and be willing to place value and value on this life, I think it’s worth it.”

Alexander says she’s grateful for the decision she made to become a mom all those years ago, and she supports the Supreme Court’s decision today.