Our reporters are speaking with women across the United States as they react to Friday’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. Here is a selection of what they have heard from women who oppose abortion.

‘Finally we can save the babies’

Sherri Street, 67, who lives in Franklin, Tenn., a city south of Nashville, welcomed the decision, saying the issue of abortion had been on her mind for decades. A close family member had an abortion in 1972 as a teenager and later married the boyfriend who had also been the father. She said her relative had regretted the decision to have the abortion.

“It’s something she gets tearful about,” Ms. Street said. “So, we really were hoping that this would be overturned.”

Ms. Street said she approves of a Tennessee law that would make abortion illegal, with exceptions when a mother’s life or major bodily function is at risk.

“Finally, we can save babies,” she said.

Ms. Street said she had supported exceptions for rape in the past, but has since changed her mind.

“I used to think rape would be one, but I’m not really sure any more,” she said. “I just can’t imagine killing something that the Lord had planned.”

The culmination of an anti-abortion legislator’s career

Candice Keller, 63, a former Ohio state representative who co-sponsored restrictive abortion legislation that is expected to be signed into law within weeks, said Friday’s ruling was the culmination of her career.

“I just started to cry. It was a nine-year battle in Ohio,” Ms. Keller said of her efforts to make abortion illegal. “It has been a real battle. It felt like you are never going to win. But we did win,” Ms. Keller said, adding that she was grateful to former President Donald J. Trump for nominating three conservative justices.

‘When I heard the news, I leapt for joy’

At Ohio Right to Life, an anti-abortion organization, “the mood is completely overjoyed,” said Elizabeth Whitmarsh, the group’s communications director.

“When I heard the news, I leapt for joy,” she added. “I almost started crying. It is a historic moment. I cannot overstate how monumental this moment is in history.”

Despite the celebratory mood, Ms. Whitmarsh said the real work would begin now, adding that her organization expects the state to move swiftly to ban all abortions.

“This is uncharted territory,” she said. “This is just the first step. Our goal isn’t to just end abortion but to create a culture of life so that women don’t feel a need for abortions.”

‘It has been an issue that I’ve held very close to my heart’

Stephanie Meyer, who spent Friday at the Kansas City Zoo with her three children, said she was thrilled to hear the news of the Supreme Court decision. Ms. Meyer is part of a large Catholic family and said she has never doubted her opposition to abortion.

“I was brought up in the Catholic faith and it has been an issue that I’ve held very close to my heart,” Ms. Meyer said. “This is a big problem in our country, what we allow to happen to unborn babies.”