Roe v Wade News – Live: Biden Promises Action to Protect Abortion Rights as John Roberts Confirms Leaked Opinion

Abortion rights advocates organized on social media Tuesday for demonstrations across the US in the wake of the leaked Supreme Court opinion to reject the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe vs. Wade.

A protest is underway in New York City’s Foley Square:

Without the constitutional protections to abortion care affirmed by the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wadeabout half of US states will immediately or quickly outlaw abortion, including 13 states with so-called “trigger” bans, laws designed to go into effect without Roe.

Nine states have laws in place that prohibited abortions before the Roe ruling but have never been written off the books; those laws are expected to go back into effect if the Supreme Court strikes them down.

Melissa MIlls, the first daughter of Norma Leah Nelson McCorvey, also known as “Jane Roe”, the plaintiff of Roe vs. WadeShe said she was incredulous when she learned of the Supreme Court’s draft decision that would overturn the ruling.

“I just can’t believe we’re going back 50 years,” he said.

California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office issued a statement on Twitter Tuesday saying the state would protect women’s rights to abortion regardless of the Supreme Court’s final decision on abortion. Roe vs. Wade.

“California will not stand idly by as women across America are stripped of their rights and the progress so many have fought for is erased. We will fight. California is proposing an amendment to enshrine the right to choose in our constitution. state so that there is no question about abortion rights in this state,” the statement said. “We know we can’t trust the Supreme Court to protect reproductive rights, so California will build a wall against this right in our state constitution. Women will remain protected here.”

California State Senator Toni Atkins and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon will reportedly introduce the measure to the state legislature.

Joe Biden has urged voters to elect “pro-choice officials” this year following the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that would overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Democrats hope the revelation of the court’s intentions will help rally the party’s base ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

“If this becomes law, it will motivate the Democratic base,” said Michael Fraioli, a Democratic strategist in Washington DC. “If the court changes its mind, it will demoralize Republicans.”

Andrew Buncombe has responses from pro-choice advocates and more from Democrats in his report below:

Legal analysts talking to the Washington Post said the individual who leaked the draft Supreme Court decision indicating his intention to overturn Roe vs. Wade it is unlikely that you will face criminal exposure, assuming they had legitimate access to the document.

They also said the Supreme Court is unlikely to have the authority to investigate the leak unless evidence emerges that the documents were obtained illegally.

“Unless the draft was obtained through means that were themselves illegal, I’m having a hard time seeing what crime was committed in leaking it to the press,” Stephen I. Vladeck, a professor at the Law School, told the newspaper. from the University of Texas. Washington Post. He added: “That doesn’t mean there won’t or can’t be an investigation, but I would be very surprised if it ended up with some sort of criminal charge.”

Governor JB Pritzker of Illinois said abortions will remain safe and legal in his state, regardless of the Supreme Court’s final ruling on Roe vs. Wade.

At the same time, Congressman Josh Hawley of Missouri called the leaked Supreme Court decision aimed at overturning the ruling “one of the biggest [decisions] in the history of the Supreme Court.

Former President Barack Obama issued a statement Tuesday about the Supreme Court’s leaked draft decision aimed at overturning Roe v. Wade.

“If the Supreme Court ultimately decides to overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, then it will not only reverse nearly 50 years of precedent, it will relegate the most intensely personal decision anyone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues.

Few, if any, women make the decision to terminate a pregnancy casually, and people of good will, across the political spectrum, may have differing views on the matter. But what Roe recognized is that the liberty enshrined in the Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment requires that we all enjoy a sphere of our lives that is not subject to state interference, a sphere that includes personal decisions involving who we sleep with, who we marry, whether or not to use birth control, and whether or not to have children.

Obama has faced criticism today for not codifying Roe vs. Wade into law during his presidency, which he said would be “the first thing I would do” as president.

He later said codifying the law was “not his top legislative priority” when asked why he didn’t follow through on his promise.

Read his full statement below.

Jim Obergefell, who fought to legalize same-sex marriage in 2013, issued a statement Tuesday warning that basic human rights are now “under siege” in the wake of the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision that would see Roe vs. Wade tipped over

He fears Republicans will focus on repealing laws legalizing same-sex marriage next.

Read more from her perspective in Rachel Sharp’s report below:

Experts have warned that tipping Roe vs. Wade it would not prevent abortions, but it would make them illegal and unsafe, putting pregnant women at risk of legal consequences and increasing the risk that they will die from the procedures.

Gillian Frank, historian of religion and sexuality, co-host of the podcast. sexing historyhe warned against the idea that banning abortion would actually stop the practice.

“American women have always sought abortions,” said the historian. “The only thing that has changed is the context, the safety, the affordability and the availability, but the pursuit of abortion itself has been a continuous fact of American reproductive life since the founding.”

Johanna Chisholm has more on the story below: