As Larry Bodine and Az Blue Meanie have already written, the United States Supreme Court, in a majority opinion of justices appointed by Presidents who did not win the popular vote in their first elections to the Presidency, have overturned Roe v Wade, which gave women the right to decide on their reproductive choices.
That these justices chose to release this opinion in between the dates of the Ratification of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence is especially ironic because it is the first time the Court has taken away a right from the American People.
It also represents the height of hypocrisy that this extreme majority on the court, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi noted, can tell states they can not regulate the carrying of concealed weapons in some instances on one day and then tell the same states they can make women second class citizens by taking their right to choose the next.
What is more terrifying is Clarence Thomas, in a concurring majority opinion, seemed to open the door to the court revisiting the right for women to purchase contraceptive devices or the rights for same sex couples to marry.
Apparently, Mr. Thomas, who is in a biracial marriage, thinks those unions are okay and did not include them. How generous.
The President of the United States rightfully condemned the Supreme Court Decision in an address to the country this morning.
Calling today's decision "a solemn moment," President Biden chastised the Court majority for "taking (women's rights)away. That's never been done for a right that's so important to so many Americans. They did it. It's a sad day for the Court and the Country."
Saying "With Roe gone, the health and life of women in this nation are now at risk," Reminding the people that Justices from the Eisenhower to Nixon to Reagan to George W. Bush (he left out Ford and George H.W. Bush nominees) approved either the initial Roe v Wade decision or reaffirmed it in follow up cases.
Mr. Biden then pointed out that it was the three justices appointed by 2016 popular vote loser Donald Trump (and processed by Supreme Court seat thief Mitch McConnell) who chose to "upend the scales of justice and eliminate a fundamental right for women in this country," calling it "a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error of the Supreme Court..."
Noting that anti abortion laws, with today's ruling, will go into effect today, the President said this will result in "jeopardizing the health of millions of women, some without exceptions" including "having to bear their rapists child...or as a consequence of incest."
Mr. Biden also blasted the Supreme Courts citing of cases from the nineteenth century for their rationale in overturning Roe v Wade, saying that perspective is "taking America back 150 years."
Calling today "a sad day," the President told the people, "the fight is not over," saying "the only way we can secure a woman's right to choose...is for Congress to restore the protections to Roe v Wade as federal law...voters need to make their voices heard this fall. We must elect more senators and representatives who will codify a woman's right to choose once again. Elect more local leaders to protect this right at the local level...This fall, Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms (remember Republcicans have been attacking your right to vote too)are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality. They're all on the ballot."
For the women who now live in abortion restrictive states, Mr. Biden reminded them that today's decision does not prevent them from traveling to states that still allow the procedure. Saying his Administration will defend that right, he relayed that women "must have the freedom to travel to another state to seek the care they need." The President said "he would do everything in his power" to fight any attack on a woman's freedom to travel.
Mr. Biden also pledged to protect people's access to contraceptive medications, saying "the politicians should not be able to interfere in the decisions between a woman and her doctor."
The President also called out Clarence Thomas's concurrent opinion which recommended the reconsideration on the right to contraception and same sex marriage, saying "this is a dangerous path the court is taking us on."
Mr. Biden closed by calling on all sides to be peaceful in their protests.
He also told the women of this country affected by today's decision "I hear you. I support you. I stand with you...with this decision, the conservative majority of this country shows how extreme it is. How far they are from the majority of this country that made the United States an outlier among the developed nations around the world. But this decision must not be the final word...With your vote, you can act. You can have the final word. This is not over."
The elections are 137 days from now on November 8, 2022.
Turn out and be counted.
Do not let them take away your right to choose or vote or privacy.
This is a battle for the soul of the American Ideal.
It is time to treat it as such.
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