Hillsborough Mayor Jenn Weaver recently spoke with 97.9 The Hill’s Brighton McConnell as part of the “Conversations with the Mayors” series. In the aftermath of the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court, she discussed her thoughts and experiences around abortion, as well as the potential effects of Roe v. Wade being struck down. Weaver also discussed the decision-making around Orange County’s state of emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic coming to an end.
Here are excerpts from that conversation on Tuesday, May 3, which have been edited for brevity and clarity. The audio of the full interview is below.
Can you talk a little bit about [the decision to let the state of emergency expire] and what the conversations were like with the rest of the Orange County leaders when it came to making that call?
Jenn Weaver: We did talk about this a fair amount, because it is a big change considering how long it’s been in place. The decision to let the state of emergency expire was basically in line with how we’ve been making these decisions all along. What was conveyed to us from the health director and from emergency services was, based on their expertise and what the data are showing, that the justification for extending the state of emergency really no longer exists. We were starting to be on some shaky legal ground should we extend it again.
It was not easy to take that step, because we’ve experienced so many changes — highs and lows over the course of the pandemic. Letting go of that tool, which is what allowed us to act quickly as a collection of local governments, [was hard.] But we still needed to be acting within the parameters that we needed to be following. So, you know, here we are.
I know that it was a useful tool in terms of also being able to hold virtual meetings for town council and, and other town government meetings. I know that Hillsborough is kind of fully transitioned back to doing in person meetings and the town offices are actually reopened for the first time since March 2020, which is pretty big news. What has that transition been like? And do you think that there are still some bumps in the road to get over as we now move back to having to have in person meetings for our local governments in Orange County?
Jenn Weaver: It’s my understanding that the ability to meet virtually actually comes from the state’s State of Emergency. So, in theory we could jump back to that if needed. But the transition for Hillsborough has been pretty smooth, all things considered. We’re meeting again, some of us continue to wear masks when we’re meeting, others don’t — sort of like you see out and about. Our staff has been terrific in making this work and figuring out how to keep broadcasting our town board meetings over YouTube, which is not something we had done prior to the pandemic. We’re figuring it out and it’s good to see each other in same room again.
When you were having conversations with the Orange County leaders and also hearing updates from the Orange County Health Department, what are the next steps for our community as we figure out how to now truly live with the virus?
Jenn Weaver: Well, I think we mainly need to be aware that people are still getting COVID, for sure. We need to be smart about what we’re doing, how we’re moving in the world and [being] aware that some people are still going to be masking for a long time. And that’s okay. We also want to keep emphasizing that folks do need to get vaccinated and boosted, because that just continues to layer our community in protection.
I want to bring up a story that I think a lot of people are talking about today: the news of a leak from the Supreme Court that there’s an early draft decision that’s floating around that would overturn Roe V. Wade potentially in the coming months. Of course, that case establishing the easier ability to have an abortion in the U.S.
I know that I know that this is a topic that is close to your heart and that is close to many people’s hearts in our community. I wanted to kind of get your reaction of seeing that news last night and also what you’ve been hearing about in the Hillsborough community.
Jenn Weaver: This is, just like you said, heavy on my mind and that of most of the people in my circles. This leaked opinion that foretells the ending of Roe is the outcome that people working in abortion rights have been predicting for months, but it’s still incredibly angering and shocking. And listen, I will be blunt here: easily a plurality, if not a majority, of women I know have had an abortion, including me. Abortion is normal. Abortion is common and people have abortions for all kinds of reasons. Certainly the thought of denying this care to victims of rape or incest or ectopic pregnancies…that’s horrific.
But the conversation and concern should not end there. There are so many women and teenagers of all ages who, like me, ended did their pregnancies because they were not at a place in their lives where they were interested or able to carry a child to term. In other words, we have abortions because we want to determine the course of our own lives. I have two beautiful children and a loving spouse, and the life I have today would not exist without having had access to an abortion. So it’s very, very important and touches all of our lives.
I think we’re gonna continue to hear such stories and we very much appreciate you sharing yours with us here. And I know many people in our community are doing the same thing today and will be in coming months.
As a leader of a town government, a local government, Jenn, obviously it’s hard to necessarily predict what changes will happen. And we know that changes won’t be immediate whenever this decision does come down later this summer. But what can Hillsborough do on a local level to continue to either protect those rights or at least promote good reproductive health?
Jenn Weaver: Well, one thing we need to remember is that pregnant people of financial means will continue to have access to healthcare in the form of abortions as they could before Roe. They will continue to do so after the end of Row. The [court’s decision] will impact our most vulnerable people the most profoundly, and that’s people who are too poor or too young to get the care they need. That’s already happening in many states in the south. It will be amplified exponentially if this opinion holds. Speaking for us locally, what we can do certainly as individuals is help give money to organizations that are hard at work in our state to help be sure that people who can’t afford reproductive healthcare in the form of abortions are able to access them.
At the local level, I know that there have been conversations around zoning that I really can’t say too much about, because I’m just not highly-educated on it. I know it’s come up in other cities. But we just want to be sure that abortion clinics are able to stay in operation and that the people working there are protected. That’s very, very important. And that we keep our firewall here in the state to keep North Carolina as a place where people can get this care.
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