This week, the Supreme Court ruled that Texas could enact the nation’s most restrictive anti-abortion law.
The law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and allows private citizens to bring suit against abortion providers.
Vice President Kamala Harris released a statement on the Supreme Court’s decision.
Harris writes that “the Supreme Court threatened nearly 50 years of legal precedent, dealing a significant blow to Roe v. Wade and the right of women to make decisions about their own bodies. Without a hearing or due consideration, the majority of justices effectively allowed a bounty law to go into effect in Texas, and an abortion ban after about six weeks of pregnancy even in cases of rape or incest.”
Abortion rights groups and providers are gearing up to tackle the bill in the highest court. Roe v. Wade is the landmark 1973 decision which enables a constitutional right to the procedure.
The White House is also vowing to fight the legislation.
“This decision is not the last word on Roe v. Wade, and we will not stand by and allow our nation to go back to the days of back-alley abortions. We will not abide by cash incentives for virtual vigilantes and intimidation for patients. We will use every lever of our Administration to defend the right to safe and legal abortion—and to strengthen that right,” Harris concludes.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned “the Supreme Court’s cowardly, dark-of-night decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women’s rights and health is staggering.”
She vowed to call a vote.
