The GOP-nominated Justices on the Supreme Court have voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade. This means states now have the ability to outlaw legal abortions and any exceptions, as well as a woman's right to privacy. The full details inside on the historical decision that happened today in D.C., reactions, and the states that have already completely outlawed abortions.
We're not shocked, seeing that the writing was on the leaked judicial opinion weeks ago. But most of this country is completely outraged and disappointed at the 6-3 Supreme Court decision, with all GOP-nominated Justices voting, in essence, to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Allowing their gross misinterpretation of science to rule their decision - or at least to use that as the scapegoat for their upholding of the patriarchy - six Justices declared that the constitutional right to abortion upheld for nearly a half century, no longer exists. The decision was made via the highest Court hearing the case of Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization et al.
NPR explains:
"Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that the 1973 Roe ruling and repeated subsequent high court decisions reaffirming Roe "must be overruled" because they were "egregiously wrong," the arguments "exceptionally weak" and so "damaging" that they amounted to "an abuse of judicial authority."
The decision, most of which was leaked in early May, means that abortion rights will be rolled back in nearly half of the states immediately, with more restrictions likely to follow. For all practical purposes, abortion will not be available in large swaths of the country. The decision may well mean too that the court itself, as well as the abortion question, will become a focal point in the upcoming fall elections and in the fall and thereafter. Joining the Alito opinion were Justice Clarence Thomas, appointed by the first President Bush, and the three Trump appointees — Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, concurred in the judgment only..."
Ugh.
In their dissenting opinion, Justices Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan expressed sorrow for the Courts and the American people:
"Dissenting were Justices Stephen Breyer, appointed by President Clinton, and Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, appointed by President Obama. The said that the court decision means that "young women today will come of age with fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers." Indeed, they said the court's opinion means that "from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term even at the steepest personal and familial costs."
"With sorrow — for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection — we dissent," they wrote."
The full majority opinion is 78 pages with an additional 30-pages appendix. That would be all fine and well, and seemingly WELL researched, if the court precedence and material used to back up their argument that a woman has no inherent right to privacy wasn't cherry picked to support the Republican agenda. NPR explains:
"Alito pointed for instance, to Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 decision that upheld the central holding of Roe and was written by Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy and David Souter, all Republican appointees to the court. Alito pointed to language in the Casey opinion that he said "conceded" reliance interests were not really implicated because contraception could prevent almost all unplanned pregnancies. In fact, though, that 1992 opinion went on to dismiss that very argument as "unrealistic," because it "refuse[s] to face the fact" that for decades "people have organized intimate relationships and made choices ... in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail." Not exactly the concession that Alito described."
While the Court is supposed to be an a-political body, it's no secret, thanks to their ultra conservative backgrounds and problematic spousal affiliations (we're looking at you, Clarence Thomas and Jan. 6th insurrection queen Ginny Thomas), which side of the aisle they side with. This is also why Trump was pushed into office by Republicans who knew he would be a horrible President (especially since he had been horrible to them as well). He would do their dirty work of stuffing the court with several conservative Justices to complete the GOP agenda to re-marginalize anyone who is not a straight white male or who caters to them.
While this opinion and decision indeed provides wide ranging power to States to ban any and every medical procedure - almost always for women and not men in actual practice - for any reason, Justice Alito tried to temper people's fears. Or at least he acted like he was trying to do so. Justice Thomas made sure to spotlight this being a potential snowball effect, even though he still sided with the majority.
"Near the end of Friday's decision, Alito sought to allay fears about the wide-ranging nature of his opinion. "To ensure that our decision is not misunderstood or mischaracterized, we emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right. Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion. "
But in his concurring opinion, Justice Thomas said the legal rationale for Friday's decision could be applied to overturn other major cases, including those that legalized gay marriage, barred the criminalization of consensual homosexual conduct, and protected the rights of married people to have access to contraception.
"For that reason, in future cases, we should reconsider all" of those precedents. because they are "demonstrably erroneous.'""
Mmhmm.
Yet and still, this decision does nothing to ensure men need to be held accountable for helping to care for the child a woman is being forced to bring into the world. 100% of the onus, as always, is on that woman, who will have to miss work or likely won't be able to get a job due to pregnancy and caring for the newborn in its first days. So is this really about being "pro-life"?
Several states like Mississippi, North Carolina, Michigan and Wisconsin already had policies on the books outlawing abortion that stayed there even post - Roe v. Wade. They weren't observed due to federal law, but now that federal law of Roe v. Wade has been overturned, those states have essentially already outlawed abortion as of today. At least 26 in all are expected to outlaw abortion in some form.
Former President and First Lady Michelle Obama spoke on the decision, expressing heartbreak, a call to action and fear of us reverting back to women dying due to lack of a safe medical procedure (even women who want to give birth but the pregnancy proves to be non-viable).
Attorney General Merrick B. Garland issued a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health, et al. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization et al:
While States have the right to allow abortions, many states (like California and New York) are doubling down on their laws and extending the same right to women from other states who want to travel their for their medical procedures. They have also promised not to reveal medical records or information to their home state as states outlawing abortions have threatened women with jail, yes JAIL, if they leave the state for their medical procedure.
Abortion is legal in California.
It will remain that way.
I just signed a bill that makes our state a safe haven for women across the nation.
We will not cooperate with any states that attempt to prosecute women or doctors for receiving or providing reproductive care.— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 24, 2022
Private companies like Facebook (Meta) are also promising aide to women who need to travel for their medical procedures. This group of companies also includes Starbucks, Tesla, Yelp, Airbnb, Netflix, Patagonia, DoorDash, JPMorgan Chase, Levi Strauss & Co., PayPal and Reddit, Disney, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Condé Nast.
NBA AND WNBA STATEMENT REGARDING ROE V. WADE DECISION
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued the following statement regarding today’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: pic.twitter.com/P13MSouB5A— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2022
“The Supreme Court has eliminated an established right that has been an essential component of women’s liberty for half a century – a right that has safeguarded women’s ability to participate fully and equally in society. And in renouncing this fundamental right, which it had repeatedly recognized and reaffirmed, the Court has upended the doctrine of stare decisis, a key pillar of the rule of law. The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Court’s decision. This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country. And it will be greatly disproportionate in its effect – with the greatest burdens felt by people of color and those of limited financial means. … The ability to decide one’s own future is a fundamental American value, and few decisions are more significant and personal than the choice of whether and when to have children. Few rights are more central to individual freedom than the right to control one’s own body. The Justice Department will use every tool at our disposal to protect reproductive freedom. And we will not waver from this Department’s founding responsibility to protect the civil rights of all Americans.”
Read the Attorney General’s full statement here.
The White House, Kamala Harris, and celebs alike have been speaking out en masse:
I know there are women out there who are afraid. To those of you who feel alone and scared: I want you to know the President and I are fighting for you and your rights. We are in this fight together. pic.twitter.com/1J54ZY2aYk
— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) June 24, 2022
If you live in a state that restricts abortion, today's decision does NOT prevent you from traveling to a state that allows it.
If a state or local official tries to interfere with you exercising this basic right, I'll do everything in my power to fight that un-American attack.— President Biden (@POTUS) June 24, 2022
It is truly unfathomable and disheartening to have to try to explain to my 11 year old daughter why we live in a world where women’s rights are disintegrating in front of our eyes.
— Mariah Carey (@MariahCarey) June 24, 2022
I really wish all the people who tried to launder the reputations of the conservative justices when they were up for confirmation, and gaslight us into thinking they respected precedent, would at least have the guts and the accountability to stand up today and say they were wrong
— Elie Mystal (@ElieNYC) June 24, 2022
Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, one of the few congressional Democrats who has frequently opposed abortion rights, criticized two conservative justices after the Supreme Court decision overruling Roe v. Wade. https://t.co/yBGN8w9B8Xpic.twitter.com/Dr8oa8OLuh
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 24, 2022
MANCHIN PLEASEEEEEEEEE.
In America you can't donate organs from someone who died w/o their consent—but the new SCOTUS ban on abortion would force an 11-year-old rape victim to have her rapists child w/o her consent.
In short—even a corpse in America has more rights over its body than do women & girls.— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) June 24, 2022
The oppressed have never gotten rights by "asking nicely". The powerful do not care until they are made to care.
— Gennifer Hutchison (@GennHutchison) June 24, 2022
Michigan Legislative Black Caucus responds to Roe ruling: “This is some bullshit.” pic.twitter.com/UTCgDcAWev
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) June 24, 2022
We should hear from Senators Murkowski, Collins, and Manchin if they believe there should be any consequences at all for misleading members of the US Senate in order to secure a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land.
Otherwise Roe’s undoing is their legacy too.— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 24, 2022
Forced birth in a country with:
—No universal healthcare
—No universal childcare
—No paid family & medical leave
—One of the highest rates of maternal mortality among rich nations
This isn't about "life." It's about control.— Robert Reich (@RBReich) June 24, 2022
You won’t break my soul …THATS ON GANG!
— Cardi B (@iamcardib) June 24, 2022
Well that would mean they were controlling men bodies. Can't have that. Notice how he also said about contraception, and same-sex marriage, but left out interracial marriage that directly affect him.
— J Yeadon (@JammzzY1) June 24, 2022
After today, young women will come of age with fewer rights than their parents. The far right, enabled by this court, has declared war on the American people.
Abortion is health care and health care is a human right. We will defend that right: https://t.co/1jloa0x08cpic.twitter.com/HHitqzoTOY— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) June 24, 2022
We are observing inauthentic accounts replying to people angry about Roe v. Wade and trying to dissuade them from voting in November. These accounts use messaging like:
"Why bother voting now?"
"All is already lost."
"Voting won't change anything."
Stay alert. pic.twitter.com/MyddXLWmCP— Christopher Bouzy (@cbouzy) June 24, 2022
Photo: renaschild/DepositPhotos.com