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Supreme Court overturns Roe vs. Wade by a 6-3 vote
By a 6-3 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the federal abortion protections that have been in place in this country since 1973.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade court decision affirmed the right to receive an abortion under the 14th Amendment, which includes a “due process clause” which “provides a fundamental "right to privacy" that protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose whether to have an abortion.”
The decision struck down many U.S. federal and state abortion laws. But with the high-court repeal, as many as half of U.S. states are now expected to pass their own bans on abortion — expect some to go into place as early as Friday.
A decision on the case was leaked back in May, when Justice Samuel Alito decision notes were released.
Politicians at all levels of government quickly reacted to Friday’s news and its implications for Americans leading up to this fall’s elections.
President Joe Biden held a press conference Friday morning, calling it “a sad day for the Court and for the country” and saying that the Court’s decision “expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that is already recognized. … That’s never been done to a right so important to so many Americans.”
Biden also pledged to do everything possible to support women in their right to travel to other states to receive abortions and related medical treatment when necessary because “The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk.”
Florida Attorney General Candidate Aramis Ayala released a statement echoing Biden’s concerns and emphasizing the impact the ruling would have on minority communities. “The ruling will have rippling effects, especially here in Florida. It will not stop abortions, it will just move them into the shadows, where people cannot get adequate medical care,” Ayala wrote. “People will die. Make no mistake: Black, Brown, and poor communities will suffer the greatest impact of this decision.”
At the local level, Osceola County Democratic Party Chairwoman Donna Hart agreed with the concern about women’s health as a result of the ruling. In a statement, Hart said “the repercussions of the ruling will be life-threatening. These actions will reverse the protections Roe provided, and women will resort to back-alley abortions, which makes them prone to infections, and even death. Americans have repeatedly said they want the rights of women to be preserved.”
Representative Anna Eskamani (D-Orlando), who formerly served as a Senior Director for Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, called the Court decision “a devastating blow to our collective freedom as women and Americans.”
In a statement, Eskamani encouraged voters to make their voices heard in the upcoming election. “Though this is a major loss for gender equity and a horrific win for extreme conservatism we must remember that here in Florida, abortion is still legal,” she wrote. “We must remember that Floridians overwhelmingly want abortion to remain legal, and generations before us have fought tirelessly to gain and protect the rights we have today. We must take these fights with us into the upcoming midterm elections while we continue to support local abortion providers and funds.”
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, and candidate for Governor, Nikki Fried, also pointed toward the coming months as being crucial in determining how the future of abortion rights will turn out in Florida.
“Florida, for now, we still have a provision in our state constitution that protects abortion rights – although that is in question as well,” she wrote in a statement. “I promise that we will fight with everything we have to keep that from being overturned.”
On the other side of the aisle, Governor Ron DeSantis released a statement saying that the “prayers of millions have been answered.” DeSantis emphasized that Roe v. Wade “was not grounded in the text, history, or structure of the Constitution. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people’s role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts.”
Senator Rick Scott also praised the Court for the ruling. "Today, the Court correctly interpreted the Constitution, defended human dignity and the foundational principle of federalism, and rightly declared that there is no constitutional right to end the life of an unborn child," Scott said in a statement. "I firmly believe that life begins at conception and that every child deserves to be welcomed into this world with open and loving arms."
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel also released a statement in support of the decision. “Life wins! Millions of Americans are celebrating today’s ruling and a pro-life movement that has worked tirelessly for decades,” she wrote. “As this debate now returns to the states and the American people, we know there is still much work ahead. Republicans will continue to advocate for life, uphold the law, and stand against an extreme Democrat Party’s pro-abortion agenda.”
