US Supreme Court Ending Abortion Rights Sparks Outrage and Protests

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The conservative majority US Supreme Court overturned the precedent established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that protected the constitutional right to an abortion, which set off a wave of fear and outrage across the United States.

The Roe v. Wade case ruled in favor of pregnant women’s ability to seek an abortion without undue government restrictions. The 1992 decision in the case Planned Parenthood v. Casey largely upheld the Roe v. Wade ruling.

"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled; and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the ruling said on Friday.

Former President Donald Trump took credit for the ruling given he stacked the court with pro-life conservatives.

"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," Trump said in a statement.

Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented from the court’s majority decision, arguing that overruling the Roe decision discarded a "balance" between the competing values of protecting the life of unborn children and safeguarding a woman’s health and life. The Roe and Casey decisions maintained that balance, the justices said.

Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

© AP Photo / Jose Luis Magana

The dissenting justices criticized the majority’s decision and said that it will certainly result in the "curtailment of women’s rights" and status as equal citizens.

States' Rights

US President Joe Biden during remarks at the White House said the Supreme Court expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people.

"It’s a sad day for the court and for the country," Biden said during remarks at the White House. "The court literally is taking America back 150 years."

In addition to moral and religious factors, the decision should also be seen in the context of an age-old argument in US history between what is afforded to federal power versus states' rights that reaches across other several constitutional issues from civil rights to gun laws.

Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Supreme Court’s written opinion, said the US Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of states from regulating or prohibiting abortion and the Roe and Casey decisions abrogated that authority.

The case before the Supreme Court concerned a Mississippi state abortion law prohibiting abortion after the 15th week of pregnancy, the implementation of which conflicted with the Roe decision. The ruling affirmed the law’s constitutionality.

A total of 13 states, including Mississippi, also have so-called "trigger laws" in place to automatically begin the process of enforcing pre-determined abortion restrictions upon the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.

Abortion-rights protesters display placards during a demonstration outside the U.S. Capitol, Sunday, May 8, 2022, in Washington.

© AP Photo / Gemunu Amarasinghe

South Dakota’s trigger law immediately made abortion a felony crime with the exception of situations where the mother’s life is in danger.

Other trigger laws such as those in Texas and Idaho go into effect 30 days after the decision to overturn the Roe v Wade, but vary in their stipulations of criminal penalties and exceptions for abortions.

Some states, including Utah and Wyoming, have trigger laws requiring certification by state government officials before taking effect.

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement following the Supreme Court decision that Democrats in Congress will continue to work toward enshrining abortion rights into federal law.

Missouri on Friday became the first US state to have a public official enact abortion restrictions.

The states of California, Oregon and Washington on Friday issued a joint commitment to protect access to abortion and other reproductive healthcare in response to the decision.

Outrage

Hundreds of protesters, pro-life and pro-choice supporters on abortion rights, gathered outside the Supreme Court following the court's decision. A Sputnik correspondent spotted a sniper on top of the Supreme Court building overseeing security at the demonstration.

Several buses loaded with unarmed Capitol police officers in riot gear arrived at the Supreme Court as well, according to media footage on social media.

Activists expressed both fear and determination in the face of the ruling. Rose Hamilton, a social worker and mother, said it is a call for action for women in general and especially Blacks and Latinos to vote "ideologues" out of office.

"I believe it will take deeper commitment, stronger resistance, stubborn resolve and faith for us as a people, Black and brown women, to overcome this," Hamilton told Sputnik. "They think they have weakened us but this will take smarts, intellect, wits and righteousness to overcome this evil."

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: An armored police vehicle is positioned on the plaza between the U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court after the court handed down its decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health on June 24, 2022 in Washington, DC.

© AFP 2023 / CHIP SOMODEVILLA

She also pointed out the contradiction of the "illegitimate and nonsensical" Supreme Court, referring to Thursday's ruling that protected an individual's right to carry a handgun in public without restrictions.

"Yesterday, we saw the loosening of guns to kill more children but women are not free to have an abortion or maintain control of our bodies," Hamilton added.

Roxanne Gupta, an artist, writer and dancer, warned that the decision will lead to more abortions, not less.

"There will be an underground industry and network. Many lives will be ruined as law enforcement chases people down. And then the other part will be the war between the sexes," Gupta said.