After it broke that the Supreme Court is likely to strike down federal abortion ruling Roe v. Wade, it is now expected that over half the country’s states will ban abortions. Several progressive states have already stated that they’ll open up their arms to people seeking abortions from other states.
The Supreme Court draft leak was covered on the Next News Network was written by Justice Samuel Alito. Chief Justice John Roberts has already issued a statement confirming the draft and announcing that they are opening up an investigation into who leaked the documents to Politico.
Republican lawmakers have pointed out that the leak was likely created to put pressure on the court before the landmark decision is finalized later this year.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has put out a statement saying that his state will move to enshrine the right to an abortion into the state constitution in response.
“California will not stand by idly as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for gets erased. We will fight. California is proposing an amendment to enshrine the right to choose in our state constitution so that there is no doubt as to the right to abortion in this state. We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect our reproductive rights, so California will build a firewall around this right in our state constitution,” said Newsom on Tuesday.
On the East Coast, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said: “A truly dark day in America with the news reports that the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.”
There are 22 states that have laws on the books that would come into effect if the decision is officially adopted. Right now, there are 18 states that have near-total bans on abortion in the books.
These are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The following states have laws on the books that ban abortions after the six-week mark: Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and South Carolina. Currently, these bans have been ruled unconstitutional.
Once Roe v Wade is overturned it is expected that Montana, Indiana, Florida, and Nebraska are expected to pass bills limiting abortion.
Gov. DeSantis said in a statement while signing a bill that will go into effect July 2022 that bans abortions after a 15-week period.
“Life is a sacred gift worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation which represents the most significant protections for life in the state’s modern history.”
Republicans have made the point that Democrats are trying to railroad the Supreme Court by leaking the draft. Mitch McConnell urged SCOTUS to “tune out the noise” in its decisions.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah said that the leaker of the memo needs to be “brought to justice” when speaking to Fox News.
“This entire kerfuffle has been brought about as a result of an unscrupulous person trying to subvert 235 years of tradition, trying to subvert the way the Supreme Court operates,”Lee said.
The Utah Republican sits on a Senate subcommittee holding a hearing at 10 a.m. on Monday about “transparency and accountability for 21st century courts.”
