Immediately following the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade, current and former lawmakers reacted to the end of Americans’ Constitutional right to an abortion.
The decision had been anticipated since the Supreme Court took the Dobbs v. Jackson case this year. A leak of the decision last month showed a 6-3 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which was indeed the final outcome.
The ruling:Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, eliminating constitutional right to abortion
More:Where the abortion fight goes from here: Roe overruled but the battle will continue
Here’s what lawmakers are saying about the decision:
McConnell: Dobbs ruling ‘courageous and correct’
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell praised the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision on Friday, saying it represents a half century of struggle by conservative activists.
“The Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in Dobbs is courageous and correct,” he said. “This is an historic victory for the Constitution and for the most vulnerable in our society.”
During Donald Trump’s single term as president, McConnell was pivotal in reshaping the judiciary. He shepherded dozens of conservative judges onto the bench, including three high court nominees—Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—that tilted the Supreme Court to its current conservative majority.
In May, the GOP leader acknowledged in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY that a national abortion ban is “possible” in Congress.
— Phillip M. Bailey
More:McConnell calls US abortion ban ‘possible,’ says he won’t change filibuster to pass it
Donald Trump praises the end of Roe v. Wade
Former President Donald Trump, who nominated three members of the Supreme Court majority that struck down Roe v. Wade, praised the decision that ended the constitutional right to an abortion.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Trump said the decision re-establishes the rights of states to restrict or ban abortions.
“This brings everything back to the states where it has always belonged,” Trump said.
Trump also said the decision “is following the Constitution, and giving rights back when they should have been given long ago.”
As for supporters who favor abortion rights, Trump told FoxNews.com: “I think, in the end, this is something that will work out for everybody.”
— David Jackson
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves celebrates SCOTUS ruling
The now-successful challenge to Roe v. Wade first began in Mississippi, at Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which challenged the state’s Gestational Age Law which passed in 2018.
“I applaud the Supreme Court Justices for their courage in issuing this well-reasoned decision. It took bravery to stick to the courage of their convictions, especially amidst an unprecedented leak that was aimed at threatening the integrity of the Court, an assassination attempt, riot threats, and attacks on churches and pregnancy centers,” Tate said.
Echoing statements from other Republican governors today, Tate emphasized that his state will continue to “build a culture that supports mothers and children” through financial and supportive services.
— Katherine Swartz, Wicker Perlis
More:The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is only the beginning for anti-abortion advocates
President Biden says women’s health in danger post Roe
President Joe Biden said Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe puts women in danger in America.
“Now with Roe gone, let’s be very clear. The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden said in a Friday afternoon speech.
– Francesca Chambers
More:Biden calls SCOTUS abortion ruling ‘a very solemn moment’; what he and others are saying
Sen. Susan Collins said ruling ‘inconsistent’ with justices’ Senate testimony
Sen. Susan Collins, a moderate Republican from Maine who casted a decisive vote in nominating the justices who gave the Supreme Court a conservative majority, said the Roe decision is “inconsistent” with what Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh said during their Senate confirmation hearings.
“This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon,” she said in a statement Friday.
“Throwing out a precedent overnight that the country has relied upon for half a century is not conservative,” she added. “It is a sudden and radical jolt to the country that will lead to political chaos, anger, and a further loss of confidence in our government.”
— Candy Woodall
Sen. Bernie Sanders calls on Senate to codify Roe v. Wade
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., tweeted on Friday that overturning Roe v. Wade is “an outrage and in defiance of what the American people want.”
He called on Democrats to end the filibuster in the Senate in order to codify Roe v. Wade.
— Katherine Swartz
More:Roe v. Wade is overturned, here’s what abortion laws look like in each state
Attorney General Garland: Justice Department “strongly disagrees” with Supreme Court’s decision
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Supreme Court today renounced a fundamental right it has “repeatedly recognized and reaffirmed.”
“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,” Garland said.
— Katherine Swartz
More:What does overturning Roe mean? What we know about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling.
Rep. Jim Jordan addressed ruling on House floor
While the House prepares to vote on bipartisan gun safety legislation, members of Congress took to the floor to speak on the SCOTUS ruling.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said overturning Roe v. Wade is “a win for the Constitution and a win for the sanctity of life.”
— Katherine Swartz
Poll:Furor over Roe v. Wade reversal likely won’t rescue Democrats in midterm elections
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the ruling an “answer to prayer”
Speaking to reporters outside the Capitol, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., called the Supreme Court’s ruling an “answer to prayer,” and said that “we’re going to protect life.”
— Katherine Swartz
Gov. Greg Abbott touts Texas investment in abortion alternatives
Texas Governor Greg Abbott applauded the Supreme Court’s decision and emphasized the millions of dollars he’s allocated towards supporting “women’s healthcare and expectant mothers.”
Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation, cutting off after a heartbeat is detected. This is typically in the sixth week of pregnancy, before many know they’re pregnant.
— Katherine Swartz
More:The Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is only the beginning for anti-abortion advocates
Sen. Majority Leader Schumer calls SCOTUS “extreme MAGA court”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said today’s ruling is the result of electing MAGA Republicans.
“Today is one of the darkest days our country has ever seen,” he said.
“Millions upon millions of American women are having their rights taken from them by five unelected Justices on the extremist MAGA court,” Schumer added.
He said the decision makes “crystal clear the contrast as we approach the November elections.”
— Candy Woodall
Sen. Joe Manchin said he would vote to codify Roe
Moderate Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said he is “deeply disappointed” by the SCOTUS decision.
Though the senator from West Virginia is pro-life, he said he understands his definition of that may be different from someone else’s definition of pro-life.
Manchin said he would support legislation that codifies the rights Roe v. Wade previously protected.
— Candy Woodall
More:Supreme Court ruling triggers maze of state abortion laws
Speaker Pelosi says Dems will fight ‘ferociously’ to enshrine Roe
Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is “outrageous and heart-wrenching” and vowed to fight against it in Congress and at the ballot box.
The ruling is the result of the GOP’s “dark and extreme goal of ripping away women’s right to make their own reproductive health decisions,” she said.
“Because of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party and their supermajority on the Supreme Court, American women today have less freedom than their mothers,” Pelosi said.
During her weekly news conference, shortly after the SCOTUS decision, she warned that Republicans in Congress want a nationwide ban. She indicated the only way to stop that was to keep the GOP from gaining a majority in the midterm.
“A woman’s right to choose is on the ballot in November,” Pelosi said.
— Candy Woodall
Congress:Seven members of Congress, seven personal stories of abortion as Roe v. Wade hangs in balance
Hillary Clinton: Opinion “Will live in infamy”
Former First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted that the Supreme Court’s decision “will live in infamy” as a step backwards for women’s rights.
“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.
Clinton also called on the public to support and donate to Democratic candidates, to protect reproductive rights by winning elections “at every level.”
— Katherine Swartz
Former Vice President Mike Pence
Former Vice President Mike Pence, who is contemplating his own presidential run in 2024, issued a statement within minutes of the ruling and called for ending abortions in all 50 states.
Praising the Supreme Court for returning the issue to the states, Pence said: ”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 did not offer specific proposals.
Pence rose to political prominence as a social conservative who emphasized abortion. He won elections to the U.S. House, the governor’s mansion in Indiana and the vice presidency.
In his statement, Pence said: “It is incumbent on all who cherish the sanctity of life to resolve that we will take the defense of the unborn and the support for women in crisis pregnancy centers to every state in America.”
— David Jackson
Sen. Bob Casey, a Catholic Democrat, slammed SCOTUS ruling
Sen. Bob Casey, a longstanding Catholic Democrat who has previously supported pro-life efforts, condemned the Supreme Court ruling.
“Today’s decision upends almost a half century of legal precedent and rips away a constitutional right that generations of women have known their entire lives,” he said in a statement. “This dangerous ruling won’t end abortions in this country, but it will put women’s lives at risk.”
Casey forecast that this is the beginning of a series of decisions and efforts to end abortion rights in the U.S.
“And make no mistake—this is not the end goal, it’s just the beginning. Republicans in Congress want to pass federal legislation to completely ban abortion. Our daughters and granddaughters should not grow up with fewer rights than their mothers.”
— Candy Woodall
Former President Barack Obama: Protest, volunteer, continue to act
Only minutes after the ruling was announced, Former President Barack Obama released a statement on Twitter:
“Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans,” he wrote.
Obama also linked a longer statement that he and former First Lady Michelle Obama wrote when the draft decision was leaked.
In his previous statement and tweets, Obama called on Americans upset over the decision to “join with activists who’ve been sounding the alarm on abortion access for years — and react.”
— Katherine Swartz
