Biden vows action to protect abortion rights as John Roberts confirms leaked opinion

Supreme Court ‘poised to inflict greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years’, say leading Dems

Roe v Wade protesters speak out about Supreme Court plan to drop abortion law

Leading Democrats have condemned the reported decision of the US Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the leaked draft was authentic, as President Joe Biden vowed to fight the court’s imminent decision.

Congressional Democratic leadership said the Republican-appointed justices who reportedly endorsed Justioce Samuel Alito’s opinion were “poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past 50 years,” as abortion rights

The decision indicates that the Supreme Court’s conservative majority will uphold a Mississippi law criminalising abortion care at 15 weeks of pregnancy, in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, and overrule precedents established in Roe and affirmed by the 1993 decision in Casey v Planned Parenthood.

Republican officials have meanwhile celebrated the likely demise of Roe while condemning the “leak” from the nation’s high court.

Key points

• Leaked initial daft says Supreme Court will vote to overturn Roe v Wade
• Democrats condemn ‘greatest restriction of rights’ in 50 years
• Republican governors vow to ‘protect life’
• What does the leaked document say?

[3 May 2022 18:50 · Graig Graziosi]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Republicans trying to distract with leak complaints

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that Republicans are intentionally trying to distract from the implications of overturning Roe v. Wade by focusing on the leak of a Supreme Court draft decision.

“Republicans are spending all their focus on the leak because they don’t want to focus on Roe v. Wade, where they know they’re on the wrong side of history and on the wrong side of the American people. Try as they might, they can’t distract from the truth,” he said on Tuesday.

[3 May 2022 19:13 · Graig Graziosi]

Politico staff told to take security precautions, remove identifying information from social media

Staff at Politico – which published the bombshell story documenting the leaked Supreme Court draft decision indicating its intention to overturn Roe v. Wade – have reportedly been told to take precautions when entering elevators to ensure that anyone entering the building with them are employed at the company.

They have also reportedly been told to remove identifying information from their social media accounts that could link them to the company.

[3 May 2022 19:21 · Graig Graziosi]

Joe Biden says Democrats will be ‘ready’ if abortion law overturned

Joe Biden issued a statement on Twitter on Tuesday regarding the Supreme Court draft decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

Mr Biden said that Democrats will be “ready when any ruling is issued.”

Critics have called on Mr Biden to take a more proactive stance to try to ensure that Roe is not overturned.

[3 May 2022 19:30 · Graig Graziosi]

Senator Krysten Sinema says she supports women’s reproductive rights, but doubles down on filibuster support

Democratic Senator Krysten Sinema issued a statement Tuesday saying she support women’s right to choose to have an abortion, but noted in her statement that she would not consider ending the filibuster, which currently prevents Democrats from codifying Roe v. Wade into law and stopping the Supreme Court from overturning the ruling.

The “protections in the Senate” she references in her statement is a reference to the filibuster. Joe Biden said he would consider once again trying to eliminate the filibuster in an attempt to codify Roe v. Wade into law.

[3 May 2022 19:45 · Graig Graziosi]

What Trump’s Supreme Court appointments said about Roe vs Wade at their hearings

Former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominees all agreed during their confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was settled precedent and should not be overturned.

Many changed their tunes after they were confirmed as justices.

Graig Graziosi has more about their shifting attitudes in the story below;

[3 May 2022 20:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell dodges question about potential national Republican abortion law if Roe v. Wade is overturned

Congressional journalist Jamie Dupree reports that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell dodged a question about whether or not Republicans will seek to establish a national law banning abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

At present, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion rights will fall to individual states to determine. Without the protection of the law, however, Republicans could seek to outlaw abortions nationwide.

[3 May 2022 20:10 · Graig Graziosi]

Fox host mocked for saying Democrats will hold an ‘insurrection’ over moves to overturn Roe v Wade

Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren claimed Tuesday that the leaked Supreme Court draft decision indicating its intention to overturn Roe v. Wade was an “intimidation tactic” meant to drive Democrats to the poll.

It is currently unclear who leaked the document and what their politicial ideology may be.

Ms Larhen faced mockery online after claiming Democrats would hold an “insurrection” over the ruling, particularly because she represents a political ideology which has attempted an insurrection.

Gino Spocchia has more in the story below:

[3 May 2022 20:20 · Graig Graziosi]

Senator Raphael Warnock says he is a ‘pro-choice pastor’ who will fight for abortion rights

Senator Raphael Warnock, who is also a clergyman, said he was a “pro-life pastor” and that he would continue to fight for women’s abortion rights in the face of a leaked Supreme Court draft decision aiming to overturn Roe v. Wade.

[3 May 2022 20:36 · Graig Graziosi]

Warnings that illegal abortions will kill pregnant women if Supreme Court votes down Roe v Wade

Experts have warned that overturning Roe v. Wade would not prevent abortions, but would make them illegal and unsafe, putting pregnant women at risk of both legal consequences and increasing the risk that they will die from the procedures.

Gillian Frank, a historian of religion and sexuality who co-hosts the podcast Sexing History, cautioned against the thinking that banning abortion would actually stop the practice.

“American women have always sought abortions,” the historian said. “What has only changed is the context and the safety and the affordability and the availability but abortion seeking itself has been an ongoing fact of American reproductive life since the founding.”

Johanna Chisholm has more in the story below:

[3 May 2022 20:50 · Graig Graziosi]

‘Scares the daylights out of me’: Man behind gay marriage law fears it will be overturned after Roe v Wade

Jim Obergefell, who fought to legalise gay marriage in 2013, released a statement on Tuesday warning basic human rights are now “under siege” in the wake of the leak of a Supreme Court draft decision that would see Roe v. Wade overturned.

He fears that Republicans will focus on overturning laws legalising gay marriage next.

Read more of his perspective in Rachel Sharp’s report below: