The US Supreme Court has officially voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade, severely restricting abortion rights for women across the country. The ruling removes the constitutional right to end an unwanted pregnancy after nearly 50 years and could lead to all but total bans in roughly half of American states, the New York Times reports.
- The Republican party has been vowing to overturn the measure for decades. The conservative party has been replacing Supreme Court justices with increasingly conservative members who would vote in favor of rejecting the precedent. However, they lacked the necessary numbers until now.
- The move will be part of Donald Trump’s legacy. He installed three Supreme Court justices during his presidency, all of which were in the majority in the ruling, which was 6-to-3.
- The case, The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392, was at the core of the ruling. The case was about a 2018 law enacted by the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature that outright banned abortions if “the probably gestational age of the unborn human” was found to be more than 15 weeks. The Times described it as a “calculated challenge to Roe” that included only “narrow exceptions for medical emergencies or a ‘severe fetal abnormality.'” The only abortion clinic in the state sued, stating that the law went against Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 decision that upheld Roe.
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed her disappointment and outrage at the ruling. She said: “This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart-wrenching. But make no mistake: the rights of women and all Americans are on the ballot this November.” Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green says “it’s great, it’s a blessing. I’ve prayed for this.”
- Mitch McConnell, of course, is celebrating. “Millions of Americans have spent half a century praying, marching, and working toward today’s historic victories for the rule of law and for innocent life. I have been proud to stand with them throughout our long journey and I share their joy today,” he said.
If we needed any more proof that The Handmaid’s Tale is becoming more of a reality than anyone of us would ever have believed, this is yet another example (and perhaps the biggest one in recent memory).
26 state are expected to ban or severely restrict abortion rights in wake of the Supreme Court's ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. https://t.co/grzGjz0tJH pic.twitter.com/D9HNjdrWjn
— ABC News (@ABC) June 24, 2022
If you or someone you know needs an abortion, call 1-800-230-Plan or go to https://t.co/PB5a8pE5pi https://t.co/UfaxvCGgd9
— Kate Smith (@byKateSmith) June 24, 2022
Abortion rights activists spoke to @ABC News ahead of the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade: "This is a constitutional right that we fought for."
Inside the 50-year battle for reproductive rights: https://t.co/HCJtjvwJXo pic.twitter.com/493NwqieoQ
— ABC News (@ABC) June 24, 2022
Abortions will still happen. Whether or not they're safe is another story. But this country doesn't seem to care about women unless they're happily pregnant. So, who cares if we die, right? #RoeVsWade
— 𝕽𝖆𝖋𝖆𝖊𝖑𝖑𝖆 𝕲𝖚𝖓𝖟 👽✨ (@DiscoxBloodbath) June 24, 2022
people showed up outside a justice's house to protest this abhorrent pending decision and the response from our electeds was "let's get secret service protection for the people about to strip our rights away." i feel sick. https://t.co/PevSiP4UJn
— Buddy Glass (@lendamico) June 24, 2022
