BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

WADDINGTON — One of the Conservative and Republican candidates for the state Assembly in the 116th River District is vowing to push legislation to ban abortion in New York if elected.

Susan Duffy of Waddington released a statement recently announcing her intentions to push to ban abortion as “a form of birth control and protect the unborn.”

Meanwhile, Duffy’s primary opponent Scott Gray of Watertown called Duffy’s push to ban “extreme” even though he said he is personally pro-life on the issue.

Duffy is running in a primary against Gray for the party nod to run for the position. No Democrats are running for the spot.

Her announcement comes hot on the heels of a recently leaked federal Supreme Court opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito which could overturn the controversial Roe V. Wade decision handed down in 1973. When passed, Roe V. Wade federalized abortion rights in every state. The Alito opinion, which appears to have the support of the majority of justices, seeks to dissolve Roe V. Wade on the basis that abortion access is not guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and falls under the purview of the states to be decided by their individual legislative bodies.

If the opinion is approved by the Supreme Court, decisions about abortion rights would then fall to the states as they did before 1973.

Controversy over the opinion and its potential to reverse Roe V. Wade could be much ado about nothing in New York.

New York State already has what is widely considered one of the most liberal abortion laws in the country and the Supreme Court opinion, if approved, won’t change that. The state’s Reproductive Health Act signed into law by disgraced Gov. Andrew Cuomo in 2019 allows abortions for patients that are 24 weeks or more away from the start of pregnancy if the fetus is not viable or the abortion is necessary if the mother’s health is at risk. The law does not define “health” or fetal viability, but leaves that up to the health care practitioner performing the abortion.

Read the legislation here https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2019/S240 .

A May 4th story in U.S. News and World Report claims that, according to data from the Center for Disease Control, New York has the highest abortion rate of any state in the union, with 20.3 abortions per 1,000 women 15 to 44 years old. The story says that the CDC reported 78,587 abortions in 2019, with 8.9 percent of those obtained by out-of-state residents.

Duffy’s push for legislation has slim hope of success in a state legislature traditionally dominated by a liberal majority. The state’s Reproductive Health Act passed the state Senate by 38-24 majority and the Assembly by a 92-47 majority in January 2019.

“I want it to be crystal clear. I am the pro-life candidate in the Republican primary in the 116th Assembly District,” said Duffy. “I am a proud North Country Conservative who is not afraid to stand up and be counted, especially when it comes time to speaking up for those who have no voice and protecting the lives of children in the womb.”

“North Country Republicans deserve a candidate who is unafraid to stand up for our values, regardless of what the Democratic majority in New York City wants,” she said. “If I am chosen by Republican voters to represent the people of the River District in St. Lawrence and Jefferson County, they will always know that I will not be intimidated and will always stand up for them, especially when it comes to protecting the sanctity of life.”

“As a mother and a grandmother, I understand the very real stakes our society faces in the abortion debate,” Duffy said. “We cannot be a culture of death. It’s time for candidates who are seeking the Republican nomination to stand up and be counted on one of the most important issues facing our generation.”

However, Gray, Duffy’s primary opponent, believes her call for a ban ultimately will not go anywhere if she is elected.

“My personal position is one of pro life. An absolute ban without considering extenuating circumstances is extreme,” Gray said.

“New York has already determined its stance, therefore, the Supreme Court decision would have little impact on the residents of New York State. The opportunity to pass legislation on this matter will not exist anytime in the near term given the make-up of the state legislature,” said Gray.