The Supreme Court has now overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion federally throughout the US. In the decision today, the court upheld the Mississippi law banning abortion procedures after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
The ruling came from the court’s decision on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. The Supreme Court was asked to strike down the law defining the abortion ban, but declined to and issued their opinion on Roe v. Wade in the process. It also came on the heals of the draft version of the opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito that was leaked to Politico. The ruling is expected to outrage progressives across the country and galvanized protests this summer.
Fox News reported on the decision and the reaction outside the Supreme Court.
“We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the court’s opinion.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito wrote. “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.”
In the vote, Alito was backed by Justice Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, and Chief Justice John Roberts. They were all conservative-appointed Justices.
Justice Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan vote against the ruling. They were all appointed under Democrats.
Many progressive Americans wanted Roe v. Wade to be upheld, but the decision effectively allows the decision to be returned to the states. It’s expected that 22 states will ban abortions or nearly ban it, according to the New York Post.
They are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Democrats in Congress wanted to codify Roe V. Wade into law, but the bill could not make it past the Senate. It only got 49 votes and failed to clear a test vote.
President Biden attacked Republicans for voting against abortion legislation at the time saying it came at a time when “women’s constitutional rights are under unprecedented attack.”
People quickly responded online to the ruling.
This landmark decision will be celebrated by pro-lifers and will allow them to pass laws in states to limit abortion. Democrat states will also pass laws allowing for easier access to abortions. Nevertheless, it is a landmark decision that pro-life Americans have been advocating for for a long time. Are you happy with the court’s decision? Let us know your opinions.
