Local reaction and impact from the overturn of Roe v. Wade decision

(ABC 6 News) – The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has extreme repercussions for states nationwide and will impact both Minn. and Iowa in different ways. While abortion is still legal in both states, that decision is not set in stone.

For pro-life groups, Friday is a day they have been waiting for nearly 50 years.

"It’s a wonderful day to celebrate that women and children will be protected and that the decisions about abortions will go to the states and the elected officials," Cathy Blaeser, secretary treasurer of the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL), said.

For others, Friday served as a monumental step back.

"This decision is devastating," legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in Minnesota, Teresa Nelson, said. "It will have significant impacts on the lives of women who can become pregnant."

Many people in the local community stand divided as well.

Ava Clark stood with her mom in Peace Plaza Friday. She said, "it scares me for the future of her grandkids, my kids and our generation." Adding that, "it feels like we’re getting our rights stripped day by day and it’s really frustrating."

Patti Sackett had a different opinion altogether. "Personally for myself, I am pro life but it is not up to me to make a decision for another woman," she said.

Jerry Bacon said it is hard to say one way or the other. "It’s an interesting time, it’s something that’s highly controversial, so who knows where that’s going to take us," Bacon said.

Many states are feeling the same sense of divide, which is the reason states across the country differ on their side of the issue. Because of the Supreme Court decision, the decision to allow abortion now falls on the states government.

A Minn. Supreme Court case in 1995, Doe v. Gomez, sets the precedent for the protection of the right to choose under Minn. state constitution. In Iowa, it is also still legal to get an abortion for now.

"People are still going to have abortions no matter what, it’s just they are going to have to travel to a state that will accept it," Sackett said.

Both Minn. and Iowa are now a beacon for people seeking abortions that do not have access in their home state. Clinics performing abortion, like Planned Parenthood, are implementing measures to be able to keep up with the influx of people coming to the clinics in Minn. and Iowa.

"We’ve done a lot of things in order to expand access in Minnesota and Iowa. We imagine these patients, those who can travel will travel out of the state in order to access abortion. We have increased the number of people we can see in Minnesota and we have hired a navigator who can specifically work with patients on resources needed in order to travel," Dr. Sarah Traxler, Chief Medical Officer for Planned Parenthood North Central States, said.

Minn. Gov. Tim Walz says, "there will never be a ban on abortion in Minnesota on my watch," while Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has stated that the fight for the unborn is still not over.