Sad Day For The US, Says Biden As SC Overturns Abortion Rights, Protests Spill On To Streets
US President Joe Biden said Friday that ¡°it¡¯s a sad day for the court and the country¡± after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that legalised abortion nationwide.
¡°Now with Roe gone, let¡¯s be very clear, the health and life of women across this nation are now at risk,¡± he said from the White House.
He added that ¡°the court has done what it¡¯s never done before --expressly taking away a constitution right that is so fundamental to so many Americans,¡± he said.?
He also urged Congress to restore abortion protections as federal law and said Roe will be "on the ballot" in November's midterm elections.?
US Supreme Court overturns constitutional right to abortion
The strong words from the US president came after, in a not-so-surprising move the conservative-majority Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion, which was in place for nearly 70 years.
The writing was on the wall for a long time and in May, in an unprecedented move, the draft of the SC order was leaked to the media, making it clear where the country was heading to.
The court overturned the landmark 1973 "Roe v. Wade" decision enshrining a woman's right to an abortion, saying individual states can restrict or ban the procedure themselves.
"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion," the court said in a 6-3 ruling on one of America's most bitterly divisive issues. "The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives."
Abortion laws come into force in many states
Just hours after the ruling, Missouri banned abortion -- making no exception for rape or incest -- and so did South Dakota, except where the life of the mother is at risk.?
As of Friday evening, at least seven states had banned abortion -- Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.
Altogether about two dozen states are expected to severely restrict or outright ban and criminalize abortions, forcing women to travel long distances to states that still permit the procedure.
Democrats, activists won't give up the fight
It is not just the US President who has come out against the SC ruling. Across the US, many democrats and abortion rights activists have also hit the streets vowing to fight back.
Democratic governors of California, Washington and Oregon issued a joint ¡°multi-state commitment,¡± saying they will work together to defend patients and care providers.
¡°No matter who you are or where you come from, Oregon doesn't turn away anyone seeking health care,¡± Oregon Gov. Kate Brown said.
In North Carolina, Gov. Roy Cooper, also a Democrat, emphasized the importance of the November election in the state where the GOP controls the General Assembly but lacks veto-proof majorities to severely restrict or outlaw abortion.
¡°Democratic governors are the last line of defence against these types of extreme bills,¡± he said.
The governors also pledged to ¡°protect against judicial and local law enforcement cooperation with out-of-state investigations, inquiries and arrests¡± regarding abortions performed in their states.
Seattle-based Starbucks said it will reimburse abortion travel expenses for employees enrolled in its health care plan if a legal provider isn't available in their home state or within 100 miles of their home.
Abortion has been legal in Washington state since a 1970 statewide ballot referendum. Another ballot measure approved by voters in 1991 affirmed a woman's right to choose physician-performed abortion prior to fetal viability and further expanded and protected access to abortion in the state if Roe v. Wade was overturned.
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