Abortion access will survive, Ginsburg says

ATLANTA — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said Sunday that even if the court's Roe v. Wade decision is reversed, it has paved the way for permanent access to abortion.

She compared abortion statutes to divorce requirements that differ by state, saying that women able to afford train or plane tickets could still access abortion in states that legalize the practice.

"I do not believe the court's overruling Roe v. Wade — which I don't think will happen — will prevent women of means from accessing an abortion," Ginsburg told about 500 people at Atlanta's Ahavath Achim synagogue. "It will have a devastating impact on poor women."

Divisive issues such as abortion underscore the need for a strong and vigorous minority, especially with the recent rightward tilt of the nine-member court, Ginsburg said.

She said some dissents are aimed at influencing fellow judges while others are "an appeal to the intelligence of another day." "Hope springs eternal and when I am writing a dissent, I'm always hoping for that fifth or sixth vote — even though I'm disappointed more often than not," she said.