With only 28% percent of Americans supporting the overturning of Roe v Wade which protects woman’s right to choose what happens to her body, reports of a leaked draft decision doing just that is sending shockwaves through the country. If this right is overturned — which looks damn likely — what’s stopping justices from overturning marriage equality, voting rights and other rights Americans hold close?
This all began last night, when a report from Politico cited a leaked draft document apparently drafted by Justice Samuel Alito says the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade. The draft majority opinion document has a Febriaru 10 date where Alito writes, “the Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.” Politico says if Roe v Wade is overturned, states would be able to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion. As many as 26 states are poised to outright ban abortion and some are crafting legislation that would make it a crime to get an abortion out of state.
OC Republicans are pretty quiet right now; OC Democrats are not.
We’ll start with Congresswoman Katie Porter who was on MSNBC last night:
“As a single mom in the middle of making pesto pasta for a kid who is isolating with COVID while trying to do her job, the last thing I needed tonight was a lecture by Justice Alito on how easy it is today to be a parent.”
From the draft opinion: “[Abortion opponents] note that attitudes about the pregnancy of unmarried women have changed drastically.” Not a single justice knows what it’s like to be one of the 10+ million single parents in America. I do, and I support a woman’s right to choose.
Congressman Lou Correa issued this statement on social media:
Rep. Mike Levin was downright outraged. He posted this message on Twitter:
Today is a very dark day. If the reporting is true, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is about to overturn Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, eliminating the constitutional right to seek a safe and legal abortion.
This callous and reckless decision will threaten the lives of women everywhere. As we saw before Roe, women will continue to make their own decisions about their bodies, but many will be forced to do so without safe access to the health care services that they need & deserve.
This shameful decision is the result of decades of attacks against reproductive rights and women’s bodily autonomy, and it’s been made possible by Republicans’ confirmation of several right-wing justices in recent years.
This decision clearly affirms that who we have in power matters to the future of our nation, and it’s important for all eligible voters to make their voices heard in November.
While we wait for the Court’s official decision, Congress must take this issue into our own hands. I was proud to cosponsor and vote for the Women’s Health Protection Act to codify Roe v. Wade protections into law.
Now, the Senate must make an exception to the filibuster to pass this critical legislation. I hope any Senator who previously opposed this bill or eliminating the filibuster to pass it will recognize the grave imminent threat now facing women and reconsider their position.
It’s important to reaffirm that Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land, and women should continue to access health care services as planned.
Right now, we must all come together and fight for reproductive rights, because we know what America was like before Roe v. Wade, and we cannot go backwards. I will continue to fight every day in Congress to protect those rights
Congressional candidate Jay Chen took aim at Rep. Michelle Steel for her anti-abortion views:
If I am your next Representative I promise to fight like hell for your right to choose, your right to reproductive health, your right for a safe and legal abortion. But we can’t wait that long. This Supreme Court decision is not final. We must act now.
This would be @RepSteel’s dream come true. She wrote a letter to the #SupremeCourt asking them to overturn #RoeVWade. She sponsored a bill that would ban IUDs, IVF, emergency contraception & some cancer treatments. They will stop at nothing but we will not stand idly by.
All this said, the leak of a draft Supreme Court decision is unprecedented. The Court can’t even say its investigating how this happened without confirming the document is authentic.
Some of my right wing friends say it was leaked by someone who’s on the left to rile the Blue base for an election they will lose in November. As the decision would likely be released in June or July, this argument holds like water. On the left, a right wing leaker might be trying to hold the 5-4 majority together. And is anyone really shocked that Senator Susan Collins of Maine says she was lied to during interviews?
Given Republican views of healthcare, education, childcare costs, its more about them being pro-birth than pro-life. Time to get to work. In some ways, this leak is a wake up call long past due. It’s time to get to work and get Blue.
