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- US Supreme Court overturns landmark Roe v Wade decision, upending nearly five decades of abortion access in the country.
- In 6-3 votes, the conservative-dominated top court rules the US Constitution “does not confer a right to abortion”.
- Reproductive rights advocates say millions of people will no longer have access to abortion services in the US.
- US President Joe Biden says Supreme Court decision marks “sad day” for the nation.
Here are all the latest updates:
‘Sad day’ for the United States, President Joe Biden says
US President Joe Biden has said the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade marks “a sad day for the court and for the country”.
“The health and life of women in this nation is now at risk,” Biden said.
“State laws banning abortion are automatically taking effect today, jeopardizing the health of millions of women.”
Decision ‘especially dangerous’ for religious minorities: Muslim Advocates
Muslim Advocates, a civil rights organization in the US, has raised alarm over the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it “is especially dangerous to those belonging to minority religions like Islam.”
“How far down this path the court will go is not certain, but the rise of anti-Muslim government acts like the Muslim Ban and state adoption of anti-sharia legislation has shown that Muslims are especially targeted by those moved by paranoia and misrepresentation, ”The group said.
“When that paranoia is combined with state power, the results can be devastating to the civil and human rights of all Muslims in this country.”
In their words: US Supreme Court justices’ records on abortion
Supreme Court justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and John Roberts, the court’s chief justice, voted in favor of Friday’s decision.
The justices have had a lot to say about abortion over the years.
See a sampling of their comments here.
US attorney general says Justice Department disagrees with decision
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has said the Justice Department “strongly disagrees” with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
“This decision deals a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States,” Garland said in a statement, stressing however that the decision “does not eliminate the ability of states to keep abortion legal within their borders.”
“We recognize that traveling to obtain reproductive care may not be feasible in many circumstances. But under bedrock constitutional principles, women who reside in states that have banned access to comprehensive reproductive care must remain free to seek that care in states where it is legal. Moreover, under fundamental First Amendment principles, individuals must remain free to inform and counsel each other about the reproductive care that is available in other states, ”he said.
Poor, marginalized will be most affected: Progressive Democrats
Abortion care IS health care. It was so before this. And it will remain so after this.
We don’t care what a far-right extremist Supreme Court says is in a crisis of legitimacy. Your racist, sexist, classist ruling won’t stop us from accessing the care we need.
– Cori Bush (@CoriBush) June 24, 2022
Overturning Roe and outlawing abortions will never make them go away.
It only makes them more dangerous, especially for the poor + marginalized.
People will die because of this decision. And we will never stop until abortion rights are restored in the United States of America.
– Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 24, 2022
What happens when women are denied access to abortion?
When Ann walked into her doctor’s office six years ago, she expected to schedule an abortion. Instead, the college graduate in her early 20s learned she was between 23 and 25 weeks pregnant. With California’s cutoff set at about six months, she was turned away.
“I was told flat-out that there was no other option,” Ann, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons, told Al Jazeera. “I remember crying, gasping. It was such life-changing news that I wasn’t expecting to get it. ”
Without access to the abortion she wanted, she carried the pregnancy to term. At eight months, she developed severe eclampsia, experienced seizures, and nearly died. “Where we’re going as a country with abortion access,” she said, “there’s going to be more people like me.”
Read more here.
Twenty-six US states ‘certain or likely’ to ban abortion: Guttmacher
Twenty-six US states are “certain or likely” to ban abortion now that Roe has been overturned, the Guttmacher Institute reproductive rights group has said.
“Without Roe, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion to the fullest extent possible, including 13 states that have ‘trigger’ laws in place that will automatically enact bans — some within days or even hours of today’s decision,” Herminia Palacio, the group’s president and CEO, said in a statement.
“Decades of research consistently show that abortion bans and restrictions don’t reduce unintended pregnancy or demand for abortion, and they certainly don’t help people improve their health.”
For years, we’ve known that overturning #RoeVWade would be devastating. Now more than ever, we must fight for the dignity and autonomy of all people. Statement by our President and CEO @HerminiaPalacio: https://t.co/3DVR6zg8f5 #AbortionIsEssential #BansOffOurBodies pic.twitter.com/dFKBzfXWuS
– Guttmacher Institute (@Guttmacher) June 24, 2022
‘Catastrophe’: Rights groups slam top court decision
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other rights groups have slammed the decision, saying millions of people will no longer have access to abortion in the US.
“Today’s decision is a gender, racial and economic justice catastrophe with deadly consequences. Women and people who can become pregnant have been forced into a second-class status, ”the ACLU said on Twitter.
“Today marks a grim milestone in the history of the United States,” Tarah Demant at Amnesty International USA also said in a statement. “Millions of people who can become pregnant in the United States now face a future where they will not be able to make deeply personal choices that affect their bodies, their future, and the well-being of their families.”
‘Radical Supreme Court’ endangering Americans’ rights: Pelosi
US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi has condemned the decision by the Supreme Court, saying the health and safety of people in the US was at risk.
“This morning, the radical Supreme Court is eviscerating Americans’ rights and endangering their health and safety. But Congress will continue to act to overcome this extremism and protect the American people, ”Pelosi told reporters.
“Today the Republican-controlled Supreme Court has achieved their dark, extreme goal of ripping away women’s right to make their own reproductive health decisions.”
Anti-abortion activists celebrate outside top court in Washington, DC
Anti-abortion activists have gathered to celebrate the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The crowds erupted in cheers as news of the ruling spread.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Emma Craig, 36, of Pro Life San Francisco.
“Abortion is the biggest tragedy of our generation and in 50 years we’ll look back at the 50 years we’ve been under Roe v Wade with shame.”
US Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark ruling that granted the right to abortion for nearly five decades in the United States.
In a decision released on Friday, the country’s top court ruled in a Mississippi case that “the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.” The justices voted 6-3, powered by the court’s conservative supermajority.
Read the full decision here (PDF).
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s live coverage of the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1973 landmark Roe v Wade abortion ruling.
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