History was made on June 24 when the U.S. Supreme Court officially reversed the Roe v. Wade decision. The decision declared that the constitutional right for a woman to have an abortion no longer exists. The original decision, which was declared almost 50 years ago, constitutionally protected a pregnant woman’s liberty to have an abortion if she so desired.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the majority and said that the 1973 Roe ruling and repetitive subsequent high court reaffirmations for Roe “must be overruled” because they were “egregiously wrong,” the arguments were “exceptionally weak” and so “damaging” that they were almost “an abuse of judicial authority.”
The overturned decision means that nearly half of the states will immediately revert to pre-1973, making abortions almost impossible to obtain. Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanagh and Amy Coney Barrett joined the opinion.
Chief Justice John Roberts concurred with the judgement only, wanting to limit the decision to upholding Mississippi law which bans abortions after 15 weeks after conception. He called the decision a “serious jolt to the legal system,” and both the majority and dissent displayed “a relentless freedom from doubt on the legal issue that I cannot share.”
Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kegan, and Stephen Breyer dissented. They said that the decision means “young women today will come of age with fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers.” They also stated that “from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of. A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”
Many legislators issued press releases to voice their thoughts on the matter. Markwayne Mullin, Rep., agreed with the decision.
“The Scales of Justice have weighed in favor of life. This is a historic day in our country. The sanctity of every life has prevailed, and the unalienable rights prescribed by our forefathers have been restored,” Mullins stated in a press release. “I am grateful for the system of checks and balances that allows for judicial review of prior decisions. And I am grateful as well for the affirmation of States’ rights, allowing states like Oklahoma to elevate life.” Senator Paul Rosino,
Senator Paul Rosino, Rep., also hailed the Supreme Court decision.
“Life is a gift from God, and as chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, I’ve had the honor of hearing and passing legislation defending life. So many of us have hoped and prayed for this day, and worked to ensure that when it finally came, we’d be prepared with laws that will protect the lives of innocent babies.”
Many legislators abhorred the decision to overturn the 50-year-old case.
“I am outraged by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The court’s radical and wrongly decided opinion not only takes away fundamental constitutional rights but also seriously endangers the health of women all across our country,” Senator Kay Floyd, Dem., stated in a press release.
“Unfortunately, the relentless assault on women’s reproductive rights in Oklahoma began long before today’s decision and we should expect it to continue. Now we must channel our anger and sorrow into determination and peaceful but forceful action. Women have an inalienable right to make their own personal decisions regarding their medical care. We will always stand up and fight for this right and we will not be silenced.”
Now, the task will be for the states to figure out just how to proceed after the Supreme Court’s decision.