Supreme Court’s decision on abortion rights tears US apart
The US Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that established a constitutional right to abortion in the nation nearly half a century ago.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion.
“Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” the conservative suggested. The court’s three liberal justices dissented, saying that “many millions of American women” have lost a fundamental constitutional protection.
The announcement came after the Supreme Court had considered an appeal case involving a Mississippi law banning all abortions over 15 weeks gestational age except in certain circumstances.
Chief Justice John Roberts did not join the majority, arguing in a concurring opinion that he would not have overturned Roe but instead would have only upheld Mississippi’s law.
Crowds on both sides of abortion rights are demonstrating near the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. throughout Friday, with the presence of police in riot gear.
The US Department of Homeland Security intelligence branch reportedly notified law enforcement, first responders, and private sector partners across the nation on Friday of potential domestic violence extremist activity in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion rights.
With Roe falling, more than two dozen states in the US - primarily in the south and midwest and controlled by Republicans -- are expected to tighten abortion access, including 13 states with “trigger bans” that would immediately outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade were overturned.
Governor Mike Parson tweeted Friday that Missouri “has become the first state in the nation to effectively end abortions,” activating a bill ending elective abortions in the state. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge later signed a certification that prohibits abortions in the state.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on Friday signed a new law strengthening abortion rights in the state, saying he was feeling “pissed, resolved, and angry.” “Women are treated as second-class citizens in this country,” Newsom said. “Women are not as free as men. That’s pretty damn sick.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, US President Joe Biden said Friday that the court “expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized,” calling it “a sad day for the Court and for the country.” “The Court literally taking America back 150 years,” Biden said.
“Now, with Roe gone, let’s be very clear: The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk.” Republicans and religious conservatives celebrated what they see a victory.
