Roe v Wade overturned – latest: Nationwide protests condemn Supreme Court decision as clinics close across US

Thousands of protesters hit the streets across the US on Friday hours after the US Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion care by overturning the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade.

Joe Biden has urged voters to support lawmakers who will codify abortion rights into law, calling the high court’s decision a “sad day” for the court and country after court’s conservative majority took the unprecedented step to strip a constitutional right from Americans.

The president also blamed former president Donald Trump for nominating justices willing to undermine established precedent, while clinics across the US in states that have outlawed abortion prepared to close their doors, even as patients wait to return for appointments.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joined protesters outside the Supreme Court shortly after the decision was announced and traveled to her state of New York to join massive crowds demonstrating to protect abortion rights. A group of House Democrats also took to the Capitol stairs to sing “God Bless America” and were promptly slammed on social media for being “f****** useless.”

Key Points

• Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade

• Abortion rights protesters descend on Supreme Court

• How the ‘pro-life’ movement killed Roe V Wade

• Quarter of abortion clinics will close without Roe

• Democrats urge Google to stop steering abortion patients to ‘fake clinics’ in search results

Biden ‘does not agree with’ expanding US Supreme Court, according to White House press secretary

17:43 , Alex Woodward

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force 1 on 25 June, one day after the court overturned Roe v Wade, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president “does not agree” with calls to add more justices to the nine-member court, which has a conservative majority following three appointments by Donald Trump during his administartion.

Biden ‘does not agree with’ expanding US Supreme Court

ICYMI: What is Roe v Wade and why was it overturned?

17:00 , Alex Woodward

The Independent provides a brief history of the case at the centre of abortion rights in the US and how the Supreme Court came to strike down constitutional protections for abortion care after reviewing a legal challening involving a Mississippi law that outlawed abortions at 15 weeks.

What is Roe v Wade and why was it overturned?

Abortion clinics close in several states after Roe v Wade overturned

16:29 , Alex Woodward

Three remaining abortion clinics in Louisiana – which has outlawed abortion at the moment of fertilization, effective immediately – have closed or indefinitely suspended appointments.

Whole Woman’s Health, which runs a group of Texas clinics, said it is “pausing abortion services” in the state – where abortion is now illegal – until further notice and while it determines “when/if/how we can continue abortion services for patients in Texas.”

Closures of clinics in states where abortion is now illegal will force patients to travel hundreds of miles to states where care is protected, or, if they can acquire medication abortion drugs, which also are now illegal in many states or under extreme restrictions.

Biden administration will protect people traveling to states for abortion care, president says

15:45 , Alex Woodward

In additional remarks from the White House before signing a bipartisan gun reform measure into law, the president, standing next to First Lady Jill Biden, said they know “how painful the devastating decision is for so many Americans..”

“The decision is administered by states. My administration is going to focus on how they administer it and whether or not they abide by their own laws,” he said.

He said administration will protect patients and people traveling across state lines for abortion care, as law enforcement agencies and GOP officials signal a readiness to prosecute people who “aid and abet” an abortion.

What abortion access looks like in every state after the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v Wade

15:20 , Alex Woodward

Without protections under Roe v Wade, roughly half of US states will move to immediately or quickly outlaw abortion, including 13 states with so-called “trigger” bans in place – laws designed to take effect without Roe.

In the hours after the Supreme Court’s decision on 24 June, state officials declared that those laws became active in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota. Others are expected to take effect within 30 days of the decision. Most do not include exceptions for rape and incest.

Here is a state-by-state guide to abortion access in America right now:

What abortion access looks like in every state without Roe v Wade

Joe Biden: ‘I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions'

14:45 , Alex Woodward

President Biden didn’t take questions before departing the White House on Saturday morning after signing a historic gun reform bill into law, but reporters asked for additional comment in the wake of Friday’s Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v Wade.

Biden: “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.”

Earlier this week he condemned both the court’s decision to end constitutional protections for the right to abortion but also the conservative majority’s ruling to strike down a century-old gun control law in New York that could have far-reaching impacts on concealed-carry laws, and how and where people can carry firearms in public.

E Jean Carroll brings up Trump’s sexual assault accusations amid Roe repeal

14:30 , Josh Marcus

Writer E Jean Carroll is one of the 15 women who have credibly accused Donald Trump of sexual assault, misconduct, or rape.

The advice columnist took to Twitter to remind readers of that fact, now that Donald Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court were instrumental in overturning the constitutional right to an abortion.

“The man who stacked the court and made killing Roe v. Wade possible has been credibly accused of sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and rape by 15 women,” Ms Carroll wrote.

(Mr Trump has denied the allegations.)

With the end of Roe, women in many Republican states will lose access to abortions even in the case of rape and incest.

Voices: What does the Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling mean for British women?

14:00 , Stuti Mishra

On the way into work early this morning I checked the headlines and felt like I’d been punched in the stomach, writes our voices editor Victoria Richards.

Millions of women will today be feeling the same.

The ricochet of the overturning of Roe v Wade can be felt globally. For, on the surface of things, while this “only” appears to affect America, in truth it affects us all.

Read more:

Opinion: What does the Roe v Wade Supreme Court ruling mean for British women?

VIDEO: Abortion protesters march on New York

13:30 , Josh Marcus

Protests have sprung up around the world after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion on Friday.

Demonstrators were seen marching through downtown New York City.

There were also protests in London and Edinburgh.

Protests in UK after overturning of Roe v Wade abortion rights

‘This is supposed to be an advanced country’: Pro-choice protesters descend on Supreme Court

13:00 , Stuti Mishra

Emotional scenes unfolded outside the US Supreme Court on Friday as women, abortion advocates and pro-choice protesters contended with the reality of a future without Roe v Wade.

Speaking to The Independent in front of the heavily guarded court, one woman broke down in tears as she told how the justices’ decision to overturn abortion rights showed how far the United States has been “regressing”.

“I’m just here to protect all our human rights,” she said, breaking down in tears. “This is supposed to be an advanced country but we’re really just regressing at this point because people are going to die.

Rachel Sharp reports:

Protesters say US is ‘regressing’ after Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade

What will happen to mail-order abortion treatments after Roe ruling?

12:30 , Josh Marcus

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said the US Department of Justice will “work tirelessly to protect and advance reproductive freedom” after the US Supreme Court struck down constitutional protections for abortion, reversing 50 years of abortion rights.

A statement from his office on 24 June warned states that they cannot ban the medication abortion drug mifepristone, as Republican legislators introduce dozens of proposals restricting the availability of approved prescription drugs to terminate a pregnancy.

President Joe Biden has also directed the US Department of Health and Human Services “to protect women’s access to critical medications for reproductive health care” including “essential preventive health care like contraception and medication abortion.”

Medication abortion is by far the most common form of abortion care in the US, accounting for nearly 60 per cent of all procedures. The drug was approved for use by the US Food and Drug Administration in most cases up to 10 weeks of pregnancy in 2000. A two-drug regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol – drugs that are available over the counter in some countries – is overwhelmingly safe and effective.

Alex Woodward has more information.

US Attorney General says states cannot ban FDA-approved abortion drug

Democrat congressman blasted for sharing photos doing yoga in response to Roe ruling

12:00 , Stuti Mishra

A Democratic congressman has been blasted for his tone-deaf response to the overturning of Roe v Wade as he posted pictures of himself doing yoga in his office.

Rep Andy Levin of Michigan posted two pictures of himself stretching on a mat in his Capitol Hill office, along with the hashtag #AsanasWithAndy.

In the now-deleted post, he wrote that with, “wildly conflicting emotions, of intense anger over horrifying Supreme Court decisions (with more to come) mixed with gratitude that I was just able to help pass the first meaningful gun reform in three decades, I turn inward, at least for a moment.”

Graeme Massie has more:

Democrat congressman blasted for sharing photos doing yoga in response to Roe ruling

‘It’s a war’: The woman who helped open one of the first abortion clinics in America on the fight to protect women’s rights

11:30 , Josh Marcus

The US Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Roe v Wade affirmed constitutional protections for abortion access through a right to privacy enumerated in the 14th Amendment’s “due process” clause, written in the Reconstruction-era aftermath of the US Civil War.

Abortion rights advocate Merle Hoffman has argued that the legal defence of abortion care should instead look to the 13th Amendment – which abolished slavery.

“If you’re forcing someone to carry a child against their will, and you are really owning their bodies, which is what it is, I don’t know what else you would call that,” she tells The Independent, speaking before the Supreme Court’s June 24 decision to end constitutional protections for abortion care. “And then look at what happens when somebody lives in Texas, and then they close the doors there, and then they say, ‘Oh, well go to Oklahoma.’”

Read Alex Woodward’s in-depth feature.

‘It’s a war:’ Merle Hoffman’s five-decade fight for abortion rights

Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent?

11:00 , Stuti Mishra

They are the most fiercely polarising issues in American life: abortion and guns. And two momentous decisions by the Supreme Court in two days have done anything but resolve them, firing up debate about whether the court’s conservative justices are being faithful and consistent to history and the Constitution — or citing them to justify political preferences.

To some critics, the rulings represent an obvious, deeply damaging contradiction. How can the court justify restricting the ability of states to regulate guns while expanding the right of states to regulate abortion?

To supporters, the court’s conservatives are staying true to the country’s founding principles and undoing errors of the past.

Read more:

Guns and abortion: Contradictory decisions, or consistent?

Anti-abortion police could criminalise menstrual app data and search history. Inside the battle to stop them

10:30 , Josh Marcus

The end of federal protections for abortion access is expected to trigger laws in more than a dozen states criminalising abortion care, with lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines aimed at providers and others who “aid and abet” an abortion, in some cases.

A decision handed down on 24 June by the US Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 ruling in Roe v Wade will have far-reaching consequences – including how law enforcement agencies use surveillance and sensitive personal data to identify and prosecute criminal anti-abortion cases.

Vice President Kamala Harris said she fears states that want to criminalise abortion care could subpoena patients’ personal data, including menstrual-tracking apps and search engine results for abortion clinics.

In a meeting with legal experts about threats to privacy protections in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling, the vice president said she fears the “vulnerability of women who are using menstrual-tracking apps, those who use a search engine to find certain locations or certain help … and how vulnerable those searches will be to bad actors attempting to track their history, much less any government forces that may be interested in investigating that for whatever purpose.”

How your menstrual app data could be used against you in post Roe v Wade America

Republicans will ‘go after’ birth control and gay rights next, says Ohio congressman

10:00 , Stuti Mishra

The Democratic congressman running in one of the most significant races of the 2022 election cycle has warned Republicans will “go after” birth control and gay rights next.

Tim Ryan, a centrist from Ohio running to replace retiring Republican Sen Rob Portman, was speaking after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on Friday.

“They want to go after birth control next, they want to go after same-sex marriage next... this is insanity and it has to stop,” Mr Ryan said.

Watch the video:

Ohio congressman says Republicans will ‘go after’ birth control and gay rights next

Josh Hawley congratulates his wife for her work on Dobbs case overturning Roe

09:30 , Josh Marcus

Senator Josh Hawley had two reasons to celebrate Dobbs v Jackson: the first is that as an ardent opponent of abortion, the Supreme Court decision overturned Roe v Wade. The second reason is that his wife worked on the Supreme Court decision.

Mr Hawley spoke to reporters on a press call after the Supreme Court decision and spoke about how his wife Erin Morrow Hawley had worked on the Dobbs v Jackson case.

“She litigated this case, wrote the brief of this case along with the solicitor general of Mississippi and so she has litigated this with Mississippi since the court granted cert on it, a year ago now,” he told reporters.

Mr Hawley met his future wife when they clerked for Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts. Like the Senator and former attorney general of Missouri, she is also a graduate of Yale Law School. Ms Hawley works as the senior legal counsel at the Alliance Defending Freedom, a socially conservative organisation.

Eric Garcia has more the story.

Josh Hawley congratulates his wife for her work on Dobbs case overturning Roe

Democrats hope to harness outrage and sadness after Roe v Wade ruling

09:00 , Stuti Mishra

Victoria Lowe, a 37-year-old lawyer working outside a cafe in suburban Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said she couldn’t believe the Supreme Court stripped away the constitutional right to abortion that women have had her entire life. She started to cry.“I don’t understand how they could reach this conclusion,” she said.

In the immediate aftermath of one of the Supreme Court’s most consequential rulings, it was too soon to know how deeply the political landscape had shifted.

But in this politically competitive corner of one of the most important swing states in the US, embattled Democrats hope to harness the emotion from women like Ms Lowe to reset what has been an otherwise brutal election year environment.

Read more:

Dems hope to harness outrage, sadness after abortion ruling

After abortion ruling, critics renew blasts at Sen. Collins

08:30 , Josh Marcus

Sen. Susan Collins was blasted Friday for the overturning of Roe v. Wade, as opponents targeted her votes to confirm two justices to the Supreme Court who were in the majority opinion allowing states to ban abortion.

Critics of the Maine senator haven’t forgotten the key role she played in confirming Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and she was ripped anew on social media.

Some opponents took to name-calling and attacked Collins for being naive or complicit. Others called for her resignation. University of Maine professor Amy Fried said Collins “helped make this happen,” and the Maine Democratic Party said part of the blame lies at Collins’ feet.

Collins was considered a crucial vote on Kavanaugh. She waited months before announcing her decision in a 45-minute floor speech. Shortly after her speech ended, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin announced he, too, was voting for Kavanaugh.

More on the criticisms below.

After abortion ruling, critics renew blasts at Sen. Collins

Mariah Carey says explaining Supreme Court ruling to daughter is ‘unfathomable’

08:00 , Stuti Mishra

Actor and singer Mariah Carey joined a long list of celebrities to speak out against the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade on Friday.

Expressing “disappointment” over having to try to explain the US Supreme Court’s decision to her young daughter, the “All I Want for Christmas is You” singer tweeted the decision is “unfathomable”.

“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.”

Our culture reporter Maanya Sachdeva has more details here:

Mariah Carey says explaining Roe v Wade ruling to daughter is ‘unfathomable’

What abortion access looks like in every state after the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v Wade

07:30 , Josh Marcus

The US Supreme Court has overturned key rulings enshrining abortion rights across the country, leaving states to determine whether to ban the procedure and force women to carry pregnancies to term.

Without protections under the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v Wade, roughly half of US states will move to immediately or quickly outlaw abortion, including 13 states with so-called “trigger” bans in place – laws designed to take effect without Roe.

In the hours after the Supreme Court’s decision on 24 June, state officials declared that those laws became active in Kentucky, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Missouri and South Dakota. Others are expected to take effect within 30 days of the decision. Most do not include exceptions for rape and incest.

Nine states have laws in place that banned abortions before the Roe ruling but have never been removed from the books.

Alex Woodward breaks it down.

What abortion access looks like in every state without Roe v Wade

Abortion advocates slam headline encouraging people to make ‘viral’ protest signs after Roe overturned

06:30 , Josh Marcus

The Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling that legalised abortion in the United States nearly 50 years ago. Now, a headline calling on readers to design a “viral protest sign” has circulated online, and critics are calling out the publication for minimising the overturning of Roe v Wade.

On 5 May, American business magazine Fast Company published an article titled “Furious about the fall of Roe v Wade? Here’s how to design a protest sign that goes viral” after the Supreme Court’s initial draft opinion was leaked last month. The article provided a list of instructions for readers on how to design a protest poster that goes “viral”, such as choosing a bold sign color or thinking about how the design “will live on social media.”

However, now that SCOTUS has officially ended constitutional protections for abortion, the internet is expressing outrage over the headline for being tone-deaf, after millions of Americans could potentially lose access to abortion.

It all began when Slate writer Christina Cauterucci shared a screenshot of the Fast Company article with the caption, “We are absolutely doomed.” Her tweet received more than 40,000 likes and nearly 4,000 retweets from Twitter users echoing a similar sentiment: that social media and content culture has gone too far.

Meredith Clark with the full report.

Can Roe v Wade be reinstated after being overturned by Supreme Court?

05:30 , Josh Marcus

When five US Supreme Court justices voted to overturn Roe v Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion after 50 years, it has led many to ask if the landmark ruling could one day just be reinstated.

The answer is yes, technically, but the path would be difficult.

The first way is for there to be a liberal majority on the Supreme Court that could reinstate constitutional protections for abortion rights. But in order to reach that majority Democrats in Congress would need to confirm enough liberal justices on the conservative majority bench, which voted in a bloc to throw out Roe by a vote of 5-1-3.

It took Republicans five decades to line up the exact scenario required to achieve their goal of overturning Roe.

Graeme Massie has this one.

The Janes: How a secret network provided thousands of abortions in pre-Roe v Wade America

04:30 , Josh Marcus

When Dorie Barron was asked whether she wanted a Cadillac, a Chevrolet, or a Rolls Royce, she was not trying to buy a car. She was a woman in 1960s Chicago trying to get an abortion at a time when the procedure was still a crime in Illinois. Barron was on the phone; on the other side of the line was the Mob, one of the purveyors of illegal abortions.

“The Chevy was the cheapest, $500,” Barron explains in The Janes, a new HBO documentary about a network of women who provided safe, affordable, and illegal abortions in Chicago in the 1960s and 1970s. “A Cadillac was something like $750, and if you wanted the Rolls Royce–we’re talking about the 1960s here–that was $1,000. That’s what the Mob charged for an abortion.” (Adjusted for inflation, these amounts would respectively total around $4,000, $6,000, and $9,000 nowadays.)

Barron asked for a Chevrolet. The procedure, as she recounts it, was petrifying, hostile, and dangerous. It took place at a motel. The four people there spoke three sentences to her in total: “Where’s the money?”, “Lie back and do as I tell you”, and “Get in the bathroom.” Barron was left bleeding next to another woman who had also needed and received an abortion. “If I had stayed in that room, I’d be dead,” Barron says in The Janes. She and the other woman got up once they were able to do so and went their separate ways.

Barron’s story is the first one told in The Janes, and one that highlights why the group was so desperately needed. The standalone documentary, lasting an hour and 40 minutes, recounts how a group of women, at immense personal risk, decided to help other people access abortions at a time when seeking the procedure could result in serious illness, injuries, blackmail, sexual abuse, or death. The Janes tells a story of activism and solidarity. It addresses the historical context that made the Jane network necessary, while also stripping down the group’s raison d’être to a timeless cause: making it possible for women to access healthcare without fearing for their safety.

Clémence Michallon has more.

The Janes: The secret network that provided thousands of abortions before Roe v Wade

Hillary Clinton condemns Roe v Wade ruling as ‘step backward’ for women’s rights

03:30 , Josh Marcus

Hillary Clinton has addressed the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade and how it’s a “step backward” for women’s and Americans’ rights.

On Friday, shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling eliminated the constitutional right to get an abortion in the United States, the former secretary of state shared a statement.

“Most Americans believe the decision to have a child is one of the most sacred decisions there is, and that such decisions should remain between patients and their doctors,” she wrote.

“Today’s Supreme Court opinion will live in infamy as a step backward for women’s rights and human rights,” she concluded.

Read Amber Raiken’s full story.

Hillary Clinton condemns Roe v Wade ruling as ‘step backward’ for women’s rights

‘God bless Justice Alito’: Conservatives rejoice as Supreme Court strikes down Roe

02:45 , Josh Marcus

While hundreds began making their gathering outside the US Supreme Court to protest its announcement that it would end constitutional protections for abortion care, Conservatives began celebrating the decision that would officially end 50 years of federal protections for the procedure.

“God Bless Justice Thomas. God Bless Justice Alito,” tweeted Ohio Rep Jim Jordan, minutes after the high court released that they’d ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy while also overturning key precedents established by the landmark 1973 decision in Roe v Wade as well as an affirming decision in 1992’s Planned Parenthood v Casey.

“Life wins,” the Republican politician added, echoing a sentiment picked up by other right-leaning politicians in the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe, a decision that has affirmed constitutional protections for abortion care up to 23 or 24 weeks of pregnancy.

“Glory to God,” tweeted Colorado Rep Lauren Boebert, who began her message by picking up Mr Jordan’s message of pronouncing, “LIFE WINS,” in all caps.

Johanna Chisholm has more.

Conservatives rejoice as Supreme Court strikes down Roe

Roe v Wade overturned isn’t a victory for life – it spells death for women

02:00 , Josh Marcus

While former vice president Mike Pence celebrated the ruling with the words “today, life won”, I wonder which lives he’s talking about? It’s certainly not those of women – particularly Black and impoverished women, who’ll be disproportionately affected by the elimination of their legal right to abortion.

Criminalising abortions means criminalising socially and economically disadvantaged women, and putting their lives at risk through unsafe termination procedures. Because this is what happens when abortion is criminalised. It doesn’t prevent women from terminating pregnancies, it just forces them into life-threatening, unsafe abortions with poorly trained or untrained practitioners and little or no aftercare, which can result in septic shock, perforated bladder and/or bowel, severe haemorrhaging, and death.

The World Health Organisation states that “unsafe abortion is a leading – but preventable – cause of maternal deaths and morbidities” that can also lead to “physical and mental health complications and social and financial burdens for women, communities and health systems”. In other words, this isn’t simply a “women’s issue” – it’s a public health issue. It’s a human rights issue.

Katie Edwards has more from her latest column.

Opinion: Roe overturned isn’t a victory for life – it spells death for women

Women reveal why they’ve never regretted getting their abortions, following Roe v Wade ruling

01:45 , Josh Marcus

Women have continued to reveal why they don’t regret getting their abortions, amid the overtun of Roe v Wade on Friday.

The decision to overturn the landmark came after Politico shared a draft of the ruling, last May, written by Justice Samuel Alito, who said: “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.”

Although Alito said that Roe’s choice to get an abortion was “wrong,” recent studies have shown that women who do get the procedure do not regret it afterwards. In a March 2020 study conducted by Social Science & Medicine, researchers found that within five years after getting an abortion, 95 per cent of people do not regret their choice to do so.

Following Roe v Wade being overturned, BuzzFeed shared a series of conversations with women who have got abortions and how it was a monumental decision that they were ultimately happy with.

Amber Raiken has their stories.

Women reveal why they don’t regret getting abortions, following Roe v Wade ruling

Thousands of pro-choice supporters gather in NYC to protest Roe v Wade decision

01:34 , Josh Marcus

New Yorkers gathered together in droves on Friday night to protest the US Supreme Court decision to strike down the landmark constitutional protection that had allowed women the rights to abortion for the last 50 years.

After news broke about the ruling on Friday morning, organizers like NYC for Abortion Rights and Planned Parenthood planned for rallies in iconic Manhattan locales like Washington Square Park and Union Square respectively.

In Washington Square Park, the Washington Arch seemed small amongst the throngs of people chanting, “we will rise up” and clutching signs touting phrases such as, “my body, my choice” and “overturn Roe? Hell no!”

The Independent spoke to protesters throughout the park about what compelled them to show up and speak out about Roe being overturned.

Jenna Amatulli is reporting from the scene.

Thousands of pro-choice supporters gather in NYC to protest Roe v Wade decision

VIDEO: Abortion protesters march through downtown New York City

01:30 , Josh Marcus

Protests have sprung up around the country and the world after the US Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion.

Demonstrators were seen making their voices heard everywhere from New York to London.

Protests in UK after overturning of Roe v Wade abortion rights

TikTok users are offering women seeking abortions places to stay after the Supreme Court strikes down Roe v Wade

01:15 , Josh Marcus

TikTok users who live in states where abortion rights are protected are offering their homes as safe spaces to women who may be forced to travel out-of-state to access the procedures now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade.

The Supreme Court eliminated the nearly 50-year-old precedent protecting the constitutional right to abortion in the US on Friday 24 June. The reversal of the abortion protections established under the landmark 1973 case means individual states are now able to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 states are “certain or likely to ban abortion” following the Supreme Court ruling, while abortion will soon be illegal in the more than a dozen states that already had so-called “trigger laws” in place.

The Supreme Court’s devastating decision, although not surprising, has sparked anger and calls to action across the nation as individuals and organisations have pledged their support to women living in states where abortion will no longer be legal or safely accessible.

Chelsea Ristchel has the details.

TikTok users are offering women seeking abortions places to stay post Roe ruling

Kim Kardashian condemns decision to overturn Roe v Wade: ‘In America, guns have more rights than women'

01:00 , Josh Marcus

Kim Kardashian has spoken out against the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the landmark case that legalised abortion across the country nearly 50 years ago.

The 41-year-old billionaire business mogul took to her Instagram Stories to address the ruling on Friday, where she compared the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion to its recent expansion of gun rights. “In America, guns have more rights than women,” Kardashian wrote in her Instagram story.

The Skims founder then re-posted a series of tweets to her story, which were originally shared by writer and human rights lawyer Derecka Purnell.

“If this was about babies, there would be universal healthcare. Free education. Free daycare. Southern states would be doing all they can to drop the Black maternal mortality rate. This is about power and control,” Purnell tweeted.

Meredith Clark is on the story.

Manchin hits out at Trump-appointed judges who promised they thought Roe was settled issue in their hearings

Saturday 25 June 2022 00:45 , Josh Marcus

West Virginia Sen Joe Manchin issued rare (for him) criticism of two of the most recent-appointed conservative justices on the Supreme Court after the nation’s highest court threw out decades of precedent protecting the right to abortion at the federal level.

After the news broke on Friday that Roe v Wade had been overturned, Mr Manchin issued a statement sharply condemning both Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh for their votes joining with the Court’s conservatives to dismantle Roe -- the landmark abortion case that protected women from laws banning abortion for nearly 50 years.

The West Virginia senator suggested directly in his remarks that Mr Kavanaugh and Mr Gorsuch both had indicated that they believed the case to be settled law during their private conversations, which raises the question of whether two of the Court’s nine justices lied their way onto the bench.

“I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided for two generations of Americans,” Mr Manchin said, suggesting that they no longer had that trust.

John Bowden has the story.

Manchin hits out at Trump-appointed judges who promised they thought Roe was settled

Read the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling in full

Saturday 25 June 2022 00:30 , Josh Marcus

The US Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v Wade ruling, ending the right to abortion access for millions of women across America in a single, historic moment.

The court released its opinion on the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation on Friday morning, with the justices ruling 6-3 in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy.

All six conservative justices voted to uphold the state’s abortion restriction and, in the process, five – excluding Chief Justice John Roberts – voted to strike down the 1973 Roe ruling which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v Casey ruling which had further cemented that right.

In their historic decision, the nine-person court has effectively backpedaled on the reproductive rights of the American people by 50 years and placed the power over women’s bodies in the hands of the states.

Read the full ruling.

Roe v Wade overturned: Read the Supreme Court’s ruling in full

Here are the companies covering abortion travel costs for employees post-Roe

Saturday 25 June 2022 00:15 , Josh Marcus

More than a dozen American companies -- including Apple, Starbucks, JP Morgan Chase, BuzzFeed, and more -- are guaranteeing abortion benefits for their employees in the aftermath of the United States Supreme Court voting to overturn Roe v Wade.

On 24 June, the Supreme Court’s six conservative justices ruled in favour of a Mississippi law that outlaws abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy. The decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization has resulted in the overturning of key precedents established by the 1973 decision in Roe v Wade, as well as an affirming decision in 1992’s Planned Parenthood v Casey.

Since the initial draft opinion in Dobbs was leaked in May, a number of the nation’s largest companies have already committed to protecting their employees’ access to abortion.

Amazon, Levi Strauss & Co, Starbucks, and Microsoft announced last month that it would reimburse travel expenses for workers seeking an abortion who can’t access services in their home state.

Meredith Clark has more information.

Google will allow employees to move ‘without justification’ in light of Roe v Wade ruling

Saturday 25 June 2022 00:00 , Josh Marcus

Google has said it will allow employees to relocate to new locations “without justification,” a response to the Supreme Court decision on Friday to end the constitutional right to an abortion.

The high court’s ruling will eliminate abortion access to millions of people living in conservative states.

“This is a profound chanve for the country that deeply affects so many of us, especially women,” Google’s Chief People Officer Fiona Cicconi wrote employees.

“Equity is extraordinarily important to us as a company, and we share concerns about the impact the ruling will have on people’s health, lives, and careers,” she added.

YouTube CEO laments ‘devastating setback’ of Roe repeal

Friday 24 June 2022 23:45 , Josh Marcus

Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube, said today’s repeal of Roe v Wade is a “devastating setback.”

“As a CEO I recognize there are a spectrum of opinions on the SCOTUS ruling today. As a woman, it’s a devastating setback,” she wrote on Twitter on Friday. “I personally believe every woman should have a choice about how and when to become a mother. Reproductive rights are human rights.”

Here’s who else has sounded off on the historic decision.

This day ‘will live in infamy’: Celebrities denounce the end of Roe v Wade in America

Disney announces it will reimburse travel expenses for employees seeking an abortion

Friday 24 June 2022 23:30 , Josh Marcus

The Walt Disney Co. joined a number of other major US corporations in announcing that it will cover travel expenses for employees seeking abortion care following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v Wade on Friday.

Abe Asher is following the story for The Independent.

Disney announces it will reimburse travel expenses for employees seeking an abortion

Roe v Wade: Rita Moreno recalls being sent to botched abortion by Marlon Brando

Friday 24 June 2022 23:15 , Josh Marcus

Rita Moreno has recalled the moment Marlon Brando sent her to have an abortion when she became pregnant while the two were dating.

Some readers may find details in this article upsetting

The 90-year-old West Side Story actor was in a tumultuous eight-year relationship with the late Godfather actor after meeting in 1954 on the set of the Napoleon biopic Désirée.

Speaking in Variety on Friday (24 June) – shortly after the US Supreme Court overturned the 1973 landmark Roe v Wade decision – Moreno revealed details of her botched abortion.

“Marlon found a doctor through some friends,” she said.

Inga Parkel has the details.

Rita Moreno recalls being sent to botched abortion by Marlon Brando

Donald Trump Jr suggests overturning Roe is direct result of Obama humiliating his father at 2011 dinner

Friday 24 June 2022 22:55 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump Jr claimed that the origins of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade can be traced to President Barack Obama’s infamous roast of his father at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2011.

Don Jr posted a crude meme to Instagram in which he suggested Donald Trump’s embarrassment at the black tie event 11 years ago created a domino effect that resulted in Friday’s ruling.

“F*** around and find out,” Don Jr, who also posted the meme on Truth Social, wrote.

Donald Trump’s appointment of three conservative justices during his one term in office fundamentally altered the balance of the court, ensuring a 6-3 conservative supermajority for years to come.

Bevan Hurley has the full story.

Don Jr suggests overturning Roe is a result of Obama humiliating his father in 2011

Protester climbs Frederick Douglass Bridge in Washington DC to demonstrate against Supreme Court ruling

Friday 24 June 2022 22:20 , Graig Graziosi

A protester has reportedly climbed the Frederick Douglass Bridge in Washington DC to demonstrate against the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Other protesters have gathered outside the Supreme Court as DC Metropolitan police have reportedly gone on “high alert.”

Arizona Planned Parenthood halts abortion services after Supreme Court decision

Friday 24 June 2022 22:10 , Graig Graziosi

Planned Parenthood facilities in Arizona have halted abortion services to review the Supreme Court’s decision that struck down Roe v Wade.

Fox10 Phoenix reported the developments.

DC Police on ‘high alert’ as protest outside Supreme Court grows

Friday 24 June 2022 22:00 , Graig Graziosi

DC Metropolitan police and other regional law enforcement agencies are reportedly on “high alert” in response to a growing protest outside the Supreme Court.

Shomari Stone of CNBC reported the development.

WATCH: Enormous crowd of protesters gathers outside the Supreme Court

Friday 24 June 2022 21:45 , Graig Graziosi

A protest is growing in size outside the Supreme Court in response to its decision to strike down Roe v Wade.

Social media users on scene have captured footage of the crowd demonstrating against the court’s decision that paves the way for the stripping of abortion rights from the American public.

Bernie Sanders calls for end of filibuster and codification of Roe v Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 21:40 , Graig Graziosi

Senator Bernie Sanders decried the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade and called for an end to the filibuster so Congress can codify the ruling into law.

‘Reform the filibuster’ and codify abortion rights, Tim Ryan urges Senate after Roe struck down

Friday 24 June 2022 21:35 , Graig Graziosi

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan has urged the Senate to “reform the filibuster” so that Roe v Wade can be codified into law following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the landmark case.

He warned that the court would seek to strip more rights from the American public.

“Look very closely at what Justice [Clarence] Thomas wrote,” Mr Ryan said. “They wanna go after birth control next, they wanna go after same-sex marriage next.”

John Bowden has more in the story below:

‘Reform the filibuster’ and codify abortion, Tim Ryan urges Senate after Roe falls

Virginia governor moves to implement 15-week abortion ban in wake of Supreme Court decision

Friday 24 June 2022 21:30 , Graig Graziosi

Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin said he planned to introduce a 15-week abortion ban to the state’s legislature after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade.

“The truth is, Virginians want fewer abortions, not more abortions. We can build a bipartisan consensus on protecting the life of unborn children, especially when they begin to feel pain in the womb, and importantly supporting mothers and families who choose life,” he said in a statement on Friday.

He told the Washington Post that he wanted the cutoff to be 15 weeks, but said he was open to a comrpromise position of 20 weeks.

‘F*** the Supreme Court’: Phoebe Bridgers condemns ‘irrelevant old motherf***ers’ over Roe vs Wade decision

Friday 24 June 2022 21:20 , Graig Graziosi

Musician Phoebe Bridgers led chants of “f*** the Supreme Court” during her Glastonbury set, in response to today’s (24 June) decision to overturn constitutional rights to abortion in the US.

Bridgers, who recently shared that she had an abortion last year, stopped her performance on the John Peel Stage to say: “It’s super surreal, but I’m having the s****iest time.”

Tom Murray has the full story below:

Phoebe Bridgers says ‘f*** the Supreme Court’ over Roe vs Wade decision

Labour leaders speak out against abortion ruling

Friday 24 June 2022 21:10 , Graig Graziosi

Prominent labour union leaders have condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, the New York Times reports.

Mary Kay Henry, International President SEIU, said in a statement: “This reckless decision is yet another example of the nation’s highest court jettisoning its own precedent to cater to powerful right-wing and corporate interests while rolling back the rights of working people.”

Liz Shuler, the AFL-CIO president, said the decision was “the latest in a harmful string of attacks on our fundamental rights, including the right to vote and to collectively bargain in the workplace, and points to an alarming trend that other well-settled rights like marriage equality may be taken away.”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer files motion to protect abortion rights in Michigan

Friday 24 June 2022 21:05 , Graig Graziosi

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer annocuned she has filed a motion to protect abortion rights in Michigan.

“Today, I filed a motion urging the court to immediately take up my lawsuit to protect abortion in Michigan. We need to clarify that under Michigan law, access to abortion is not only legal, but constitutionally protected. The urgency of the moment is clear—the Michigan court must act now,” Ms Whitmer said. “With today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision, Michigan’s extreme 1931 law banning abortion without exceptions for rape or incest and criminalizing doctors and nurses who provide reproductive care is poised to take effect. If the 1931 law goes into effect, it will punish women and strip away their right to make decisions about their own bodies. That is why I filed a lawsuit in April and used my executive authority to urge the Michigan Supreme Court to immediately resolve whether Michigan’s state constitution protects the right to abortion. I will fight like hell to protect the rights of Michigan women.”

Vice President Kamala Harris calls on Americans to vote for lawmakers who will support abortion rights

Friday 24 June 2022 21:00 , Graig Graziosi

Vice President Kamala Harris called on Americans to vote for lawmakers who will support abortion rights in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“You have the power to elect leaders who will defend and protect your rights ... With your vote, you can act. And you have the final word. So this is not over,” Ms Harris said.

Democrats currently control both the House and the Senate as well as the executive branch.

AOC says Americans will ‘never stop’ until abortion rights are restored

Friday 24 June 2022 20:55 , Graig Graziosi

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Americans would ‘never stop’ fighting to restore abortion rights in a tweet on Friday.

Her statement came on the heels of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Right-wing Texas attorney general says he’ll celebrate Supreme Court decision as an ‘annual holiday'

Friday 24 June 2022 20:50 , Graig Graziosi

Right-wing Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said he planned to celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade as an “annual holiday.”

“Today I’m closing my office — and making it an annual holiday — as a memorial to the 70 million lives lost bc of abortion,” he said.

WATCH: Congressman Tim Ryan says Republicans will go after ‘birth control’ and ‘gay rights’ next

Friday 24 June 2022 20:40 , Graig Graziosi

Pence leads Republicans calling for national abortion ban post Roe v Wade ruling: ‘We must not rest’

Friday 24 June 2022 20:35 , Graig Graziosi

Former Vice President Mike Pence has called for Republicans to pursue a federal abortion ban in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“Now that Roe v. Wade has been consigned to the ash heap of history, a new arena in the cause of life has emerged and it is incumbent on all who cherish the sanctity of life to resolve that we will take the defense of the unborn... and support for women in crisis pregnancies to every state Capitol in America,” he wrote, before adding: “Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.”

Abe Asher has more in the story below:

Pence leads Republicans calling for a national abortion ban after Roe v Wade ruling

Taylor Swift condemns the end of US abortion rights: ‘I’m absolutely terrified’

Friday 24 June 2022 20:30 , Graig Graziosi

Musician Taylor Swift said she is ‘absolutely terrified’ now that the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade.

“I’m absolutely terrified that this is where we are – that after so many decades of people fighting for women’s rights to their own bodies, today’s decision has stripped us of that,” Swift wrote on Twitter.

Amanda Whiting has the full story below:

Taylor Swift condemns the end of US abortion rights: ‘I’m absolutely terrified’

California governor announces ‘West Coast offensive’ to defend abortion rights

Friday 24 June 2022 20:20 , Graig Graziosi

Governor Gavin Newsom of California announced that his state, Oregon and Washington were forming a “West Coast offensive” to defend abortion rights for their reisdents.

Police in riot gear descend on the Supreme Court as protests grow in size

Friday 24 June 2022 20:15 , Graig Graziosi

NowThis News reports that police in riot gear have descended on the Supreme Court as a crowd of protesters grows in the wake of the court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Watch the video below:

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praises Supreme Court decision

Friday 24 June 2022 20:10 , Graig Graziosi

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade in a statement on Friday. His statement is below:

"The prayers of millions have been answered. For nearly fifty years, the US Supreme Court has prohibited virtually any meaningful pro-life protection, but this was not grounded in the text, history or structure of the Constitution. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restroyed the people's role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts."

"Florida will continue to defend its recently-enacted pro-life reforms against state court challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care and child welfare."

US Attorney General says states cannot ban FDA-approved abortion drug

Friday 24 June 2022 20:00 , Graig Graziosi

US Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade will not impact the legality of abortion drugs, which are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

The Independent’s Alex Woodward has more on why states cannot ban the abortion drug in his story below:

US Attorney General says states cannot ban FDA-approved abortion drug

Trump takes credit for Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 19:59 , Graig Graziosi

Former President Donald Trump issued a statement taking credit for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

His statement is below:

“Today’s decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, along with other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so!”

“I did not cave to the Radical Left Democrats, their partners in the Fake News Media, or the RINOs who are likewise the true, but silent, enemy of the people. These major Victories prove that even though the Radical Left is doing everything in their power to destroy our Country, your Rights are being protected, the Country is being defended, and there is still hope and time to Save America! I will never stop fighting for the Great People of our Nation!”

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards addresses Supreme Court decision and state’s ‘trigger laws'

Friday 24 June 2022 19:50 , Graig Graziosi

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards addressed the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v Wade and the state’s ‘trigger laws' on Friday.

"I am and have always been unabashedly pro-life and opposed to abortion. However, I understand that people on both sides of this complex issue hold deeply personal beliefs, and I respect that not everyone, including many in my own party, agrees with my position," he said. "While we are still reviewing the decision issued by the Court this morning, Louisiana has had a trigger law in place since 2006 that would outlaw abortion, without exception for rape and incest, should the United States Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade."

He went on to say that all forms of contraception, including emergency contraception, will remain fully legal in Louisiana, and that being pro-life means "providing the necessary resources and implementing policies that provide real options and not just lip service to the children, women, and families we are blessed to serve."

Assaults against abortion clinics rose 128 per cent in 2021

Friday 24 June 2022 19:40 , Graig Graziosi

Assaults against abortion clinics rose 128 per cent in 2021, according to data from the National Abortion Federation.

The assaults were aimed at abortion centre staff and patients.

Melissa Fowler, NAF Chief Program Officer, told reporters that restrictive state abortion bans and right-wing media coverage emboldened individuals “who want to harass and terrorize abortion providers.”

WATCH: Biden condemns ‘extreme ideology’ of Supreme Court after Roe v Wade decision

Friday 24 June 2022 19:30 , Graig Graziosi

Former Vice President Mike Pence calls for federal abortion ban

Friday 24 June 2022 19:25 , Graig Graziosi

Former Vice President Mike Pence applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade, and went on to call for a total ban on abortions at the federal level.

“Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land,” he said.

Planned Parenthood halts abortions in Texas

Friday 24 June 2022 19:15 , Graig Graziosi

Planned Parenthood has reportedly halted providing abortions in Texas in order to review the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade.

Madlin Mekelburg of the Austin Statesman reports:

America reacts with outrage after Supreme Court scraps Roe and women’s right to abortion

Friday 24 June 2022 19:05 , Graig Graziosi

While conservatives and Evangelical Christians celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, million of Americans are express fury and sadness over the ruling.

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe has collected the varying accounts of anguish and anger from across the country.

Read more in his story below:

America reacts with outrage after Supreme Court scraps Roe after 50 years

House Democrats called ‘f***ing useless’ for singing ‘God Bless America’ by Capitol after Roe ruling

Friday 24 June 2022 18:55 , Graig Graziosi

Social media users slammed House Democrats today after they got together to sing “God Bless America” at the Capitol following the Suprme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“It is almost comical how absolutely f***ing useless Democrats are at doing anything to stop the extremists bent on destroying people’s rights,” Noel Berry tweeted.

Some progressives and liberals have been vocal about their frustration with the Democratic Party, which controls both the House and the Senate as well as the Executiv Branch but still could not stop the stripping away of Americans’ rights to end a pregnancy.

Gustaf Kilander has more on the outrage in his story below:

Democrats called ‘f***ing useless’ for singing ‘God Bless America’ after Roe ruling

Justice Department says states cannot ban FDA-approved abortion medication

Friday 24 June 2022 18:50 , Graig Graziosi

The US Justice Department condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade on Friday. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s statement is below:

“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.”

He went on to say that regardless of the ruling, states cannot ban the FDA approved abortion medication Mifepristone.

“And we stand ready to work with other arms of the federal government that seek to use their lawful authorities to protect and preserve access to reproductive care. In particular, the FDA has approved the use of the medication Mifepristone. States may not ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy.”

Read his statement in full here.

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan condemns ‘activist’ Supreme Court: ‘It's got to stop’

Friday 24 June 2022 18:45 , Graig Graziosi

Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade while participating in a demonstration outside the court on Friday.

"What you have here is a very activist Supreme Court taking rights away. The government's involved in too much stuff, they're in your bedroom and in your doctors' offices," he said. "Look very closely at what Justice [Clarence] Thomas wrote. They want to go after birth control next, they want to go after same-sex marriage next, and this is constantly expanding."

"Now think about a country where you have judges on the highest court in the land, politicians in key offices in key states that are against birth control. This is insanity, it’s got to stop.”

WATCH: Planned Parenthood official says Supreme Court decision will not stop organisation’s mission

Friday 24 June 2022 18:40 , Graig Graziosi

Planned Parenthood: The organisation leading the fight for abortion access as Roe v Wade is overturned

Friday 24 June 2022 18:35 , Graig Graziosi

Planned Parenthood has been on the frontlines of the fight for women’s healthcare — including and especially reproductive healthcare — for more than a century.

The organisation said it would continue to fight for women’s right to choose even in the face of the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Roe v Wade.

Read more about Planned Parenthood and its history in Rachel Sharp’s story below:

What is Planned Parenthood? The organisation leading the fight for abortion access

Journalist points out hypocrisy of Supreme Court justices who said during confirmation hearings that Roe v Wade was settled

Friday 24 June 2022 18:30 , Graig Graziosi

Journalist Celeste Headlee compiled a Twitter thread of several Supreme Court justices who said during their confirmation hearings that Roe v Wade was the settled law of the land.

The justices were under oath when they made the statements.

Nation’s largest nurses union condemns Supreme Court decision

Friday 24 June 2022 18:25 , Graig Graziosi

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest nurses union, issued a statement condemning the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“The Supreme Court’s overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling today in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is a shameful and dangerous assault on women, other child-bearing people, and families at a sweeping scale. This decision is part of a coordinated rightwing effort to undo hard-won human and civil rights in the United States, and to control working people by removing their power and bodily autonomy,” the group said in a statement. “This decision goes against the beliefs and values of the vast majority of people in the United States and is an attack on democracy itself.”

You can read the full statement here.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signs executive order protecting abortion rights in the state

Friday 24 June 2022 18:20 , Graig Graziosi

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed an executive order Friday protecting abortion rights in the state in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

“I am deeply disappointed in today’s decision by the Supreme Court which will have major consequences for women across the country who live in states with limited access to reproductive health care services. The Commonwealth has long been a leader in protecting a woman’s right to choose and access to reproductive health services, while other states have criminalized or otherwise restricted access,” he said. “This executive order will further preserve that right and protect reproductive health care providers who serve out of state residents. In light of the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v Wade, it is especially important to ensure that Massachusetts providers can continue to provide reproductive health care services without concern that the laws of other states may be used to interfere with those services or sanction them for providing services that are lawful in the Commonwealth.”

What is Planned Parenthood v Casey? Landmark abortion ruling overturned alongside Roe v Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 18:14 , Graig Graziosi

Roe v Wade was not the only ruling protecting abortion rights to be overturned by the Supreme Court’s decision today.

Planned Parenthood v Casey has also been nullified by the court’s decision.

What was Planned Parenthood v Casey and how did it uphold abortion rights in the US?

Rachel Sharp has the answers in her story below:

What is Planned Parenthood v Casey? Abortion ruling overturned alongside Roe v Wade

WATCH: Joe Biden says ‘sad day’ for the country as Roe v Wade overturned

Friday 24 June 2022 18:03 , Graig Graziosi

Biden condemns ‘sad day’ as Roe v Wade overturned by ‘extreme’ Supreme Court

Friday 24 June 2022 17:54 , Graig Graziosi

During an address to the nation following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, Joe Biden said it was a “sad day” for the country and the court. He said the court took the “extreme” action of stripping Americans’ “Constitutional rights” away for the first time in history.

Rachel Sharp and Bevan Hurley have more in their story below:

Biden condemns ‘sad day’ as Roe v Wade overturned by ‘extreme’ Supreme Court

Biden takes no questions following his address

Friday 24 June 2022 17:51 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden did not take questions from the press following his address to the nation regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Reporters shouted questions at him including “is the Supreme Court broken,” “do you still have confidence in the Supreme Court,” and “do you believe the Supreme Court should have term limits.”

Mr Biden left the room without answering.

Biden calls for ‘peaceful’ protests following Roe v Wade decision

Friday 24 June 2022 17:49 , Graig Graziosi

During an address to the nation following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, Joe Biden called on those who plan to protest the decision to remain “peaceful, peaceful, peaceful.”

He said that “intimidation and violence are not speech” but that he stands with Americans who are furious over the ruling.

Biden calls on public to elect lawmakers who will codify Roe v Wade into law

Friday 24 June 2022 17:47 , Graig Graziosi

During an address to the nation following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, Joe Biden said that the Americna public must elect lawmakers into power who will codify Roe v Wade into law.

“We need to elect lawmakers to enact Roe as the law of the land,” he said.

Biden says Supreme Court decision result of decades of conservative efforts to undermine abortion rights

Friday 24 June 2022 17:43 , Graig Graziosi

During an address to the nation following the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade, he said that the decision was the culmination of decades of conservative work to undermine Americans’ rights.

“Make no mistake, this is the culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law,” Mr Biden said.

He said the court rolled the nation back by 180 years.

Biden says Supreme Court took unprecedented step to ‘take away’ Americans’ rights

Friday 24 June 2022 17:41 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden addressed the nation following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade, calling it “solemn day” and a “sad day” for the country and the court.

Mr Biden said the Supreme Court took an unprecedented step to strip a “Constitutional right” from Americans.

“[The Supreme Court] expressly took away a Constitutional right from the American people that ways already recognised. They didnt limit it, they simply took it away,” he said. “That’s never been done.”

Congressional Black Caucus chair Joyce Beatty reacts to Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 17:35 , Graig Graziosi

Congressional Black Caucus chair Representative Joyce Beatty has issued a statement responding to the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v Wade. Her statement appears below:

“The hands of time have once again been turned back. The extreme right-wing Supreme Court majority’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the law of the land for 49 years that gave a woman the right to choose, will have far-reaching and painful consequences. Moreover, in the midst of a Black maternal mortality crisis, restricting access to abortion care will disproportionately endanger the lives of Black Americans.”

“Let me be very clear: government-mandated pregnancy is not pro-life, it is pro-policing of women’s bodies. In response to this unacceptable decision, I, along with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, are co-leading a letter to President Biden urging him to swiftly declare this unprecedented attack on abortion rights and access as the public health the national emergency that it is. We have seen what life was like pre-Roe v. Wade, and America cannot afford to go back.”

Joe Biden’s statements on Supreme Court decision to begin shortly

Friday 24 June 2022 17:34 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden’s address to the nation following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade will begin shortly.

Stay with The Independent for updates from Mr Biden’s address.

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez joins pro-choice protesters

Friday 24 June 2022 17:25 , Graig Graziosi

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivers impassioned speech in response to Supreme Court ruling

Friday 24 June 2022 17:20 , Graig Graziosi

America reacts with outrage after Supreme Court scraps Roe and women’s right to abortion

Friday 24 June 2022 17:15 , Graig Graziosi

While some conservatives and Evangelical Christians across the nation celebrate the overturning of Roe v Wade, many Americans are furious at the stripping away of their rights.

“Roe being overturned is the worst sort of “I told you so” moment. There was never a real question of why white evangelicals embraced Trump. He did what they wanted,” Christy Stoop, a writer for Religion Dispatches, said.

Read the full story from Andrew Buncombe below:

America reacts with outrage after Supreme Court scraps Roe after 50 years

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin ‘alarmed’ that Trump-nominated Supreme Court justices went back on their words

Friday 24 June 2022 17:10 , Graig Graziosi

Senator Joe Manchin expressed shock that Donald Trump-nominated Supreme Court Justices Niel Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh voted to overturn Roe v Wade despite saying they would support it as precedent while under oath during their confirmation hearings.

“I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided for two generations of Americans,” Mr Manchin said, according to CQ Now Chief Correspondent Niels Lesniewski.

Joe Biden to address nation

Friday 24 June 2022 17:03 , Graig Graziosi

Joe Biden will address the nation today at 12:30 EST in response to the Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v Wade.

Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, responds

Friday 24 June 2022 17:00 , Graig Graziosi

Nancy Northrup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, has responded to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade. The CRR argued Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation on behalf of the JWHO.

Her statement appears below:

“The Court’s opinion delivers a wrecking ball to the constitutional right to abortion, destroying the protections of Roe v. Wade, and utterly disregarding the one in four women in America who make the decision to end a pregnancy.While public support for access to abortion is at an all-time high, the Court has hit a new low by taking away – for the first time ever – a constitutionally guaranteed personal liberty. Utter chaos lies ahead, as some states race to the bottom with criminal abortion bans, forcing people to travel across multiple state lines and, for those without means to travel, carry their pregnancies to term -- dictating their health, lives, and futures. Today’s decision will ignite a public health emergency. One day, the regressive and cruel Dobbs decision will be reversed for its brazen disregard for the rights of women and the rule of law. Until then, we will use every legal lever to ensure that every person’s right to make decisions about their body and their lives is realized, and that they have access to the full range of reproductive healthcare.”

OPINION: I kept my baby because of ‘pro-lifers’ and raised it in poverty. Then they called me selfish

Friday 24 June 2022 16:55 , Graig Graziosi

Jennifer Stavros listened to the people in her life with pro-life views; when she became pregnant, she carried her pregnancy to term and a child, even though she was facing inevitable poverty to do so.

She soon came to believe that “pro-life” actually means “pro-birth,” as the very people who pressured her to have her child abandoned her in her time of need.

“I did give birth to my children, and I don’t regret it — I love them more than anything in the world. But I was pushed down the path of motherhood by Christian conservatives who described themselves as “pro-life”. Pro-life meant convincing me to continue my pregnancy. It did not, as I soon found out, mean supporting me to raise my child when I lived in poverty.”

Read her full essay below:

I kept my baby because of ‘pro-lifers’. Then they called me selfish

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Roe v Wade overturn a ‘big step backwards’ for the US

Friday 24 June 2022 16:52 , Graig Graziosi

Pro life and pro choice groups gather outside the Supreme Court to demonstrate

Friday 24 June 2022 16:43 , Graig Graziosi

AG James vows New York will remain ‘safe haven’ for abortion as she slams ‘vicious decision’ to overturn Roe

Friday 24 June 2022 16:37 , Graig Graziosi

New York Attorney General Letitia James promised that the state would remain a ‘safe haven’ for abortion.

“The Supreme Court’s vicious decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is one of the darkest moments in the history of this nation,” she said after the ruling.

Read more in Rachel Sharp’s story below:

AG James vows New York will remain ‘safe haven’ for women seeking abortion

Protesters chant ‘lock her up’ at Marjorie Taylor Greene as she celebrates the overturn of Roe v Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 16:25 , Graig Graziosi

Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was ushed through a crowd of angry protesters shortly after the Supreme Court announced its decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

As people pressed in on all sides of her and her security team, she was asked for her reaction to the news.

“Oh my gosh I’m so happy!” she said. The people around her chanted “lock her up.”

Ms Greene was then asked if she was happy for rape victims who would be forced to carry a criminal’s child to term. She ignored it and suggested the “radical left” would launch an “insurrection” at the Supreme Court.

Marjorie Greene heckled by protesters as she celebrates Roe v Wade decision

OPINION: Even if you’re pregnant by choice and want your baby, Roe being overturned could destroy your life

Friday 24 June 2022 16:17 , Graig Graziosi

Masada Siegel was pregnant, and she was excited. Abortion was the last thing on her mind.

Sadly, she learned that her pregnancy would not be viable and that she would miscarry. Eager to begin the emotion and physically healing process, she sought to end her pregnancy in her home state of Arizona.

She learned that even with Roe v Wade, trying to access an abortion can be a traumatizing experience only due to the physical and emotion strain, but due to the actions of others.

“God help the women of America now, because being forced to carry a pregnancy to term or to carry a nonviable pregnancy until you miscarry without medical intervention is its own kind of hell. Babies who are born after forced pregnancies will no doubt endure the psychological effects for decades,” she writes.

Read her troubling account in the essay below:

Even if you want your baby, Roe being overturned could destroy your life

Explainer: What is Roe v Wade and why was it overturned?

Friday 24 June 2022 16:10 , Graig Graziosi

Most Americans know there is a connection between the term Roe v Wade and abortion, but they may not understand the actual history behind the decision.

The Supreme Court has struck down the landmark ruling that provided legal access to abortion for nearly 50 years in the US. Look back at the roots of the case to gain an understanding of how we got to Roe, and where we may be headed now that its gone.

What is Roe v Wade and why was it overturned?

The Obamas respond to the overturning of Roe V Wade

Friday 24 June 2022 16:02 , Graig Graziosi

Former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade.

Commenters were quick to point out that Mr Obama promised to codify Roe v Wade into law as his first act as president. In 2009, when pressed on why he did not do so, he said it was “not his highest legislative priority.”

OPINION: Roe has been overturned and women’s bodies are no longer their own in America. Here’s what to do now

Friday 24 June 2022 16:00 , Graig Graziosi

Coco Das, a Texas-based activist and organiser, argues in The Independent that Americans’ next step in the fight for abortion rights must be built on organising, not waiting for politicians to act.

“...With all this at stake, the leaders of the Democratic Party have continually sought compromise with this fascist movement, ceding the moral high ground and barely saying the word “abortion.” They have stated that abortion should be “rare,” run their own anti-abortion candidates, supported the Hyde Amendment, and are loath to call their base into the streets to protest for this fundamental right. Relying on voting alone or the Democratic Party to wage this fight for us is a mistake,” she writes.

Read her full argument below:

Roe has been overturned and women’s bodies are no longer their own. Here’s what to do

Click here to read the full blog on The Independent's website