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Hundreds gathered outside the Supreme Court Friday as the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v Wade was announced. (Video: Jorge Ribas, Hadley Green, Erin Patrick O'Connor/The Washington Post, Photo: Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Biden says restoring abortion rights is up to voters

Updated June 24, 2022 at 10:17 p.m. EDT|Published June 24, 2022 at 10:15 a.m. EDT
President Biden on Friday called the Supreme Court decision that overturns of Roe v. Wade a “tragic error” and implored voters to turn out in November to elect members of Congress willing to write abortion protections into law. Speaking from the White House, Biden said, “This is a sad day for the country in my view, but it doesn’t mean the fight is over.”  
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The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was the most anticipated of the court’s term, with political tension surrounding the fight over abortion rights erupting in May with the leak of a draft opinion indicating a majority of justices intended to end the long-standing precedent.
The justices were considering a Mississippi law that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law had not taken effect because lower courts said it was at odds with the national right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade in 1973 and affirmed by subsequent Supreme Court rulings.
In their joint dissent, the court’s three liberal justices took note of the states that will move quickly to restrict abortion access and emphasized the sweeping impact of the court’s decision on the rights of women to terminate their pregnancies.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who helped shepherd several conservative justices onto the court, celebrated the Supreme Court ruing as “courageous and correct” and said the American people have gotten “their voice back” on the issue.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned that her Republican colleagues in Congress are now “plotting a nationwide abortion ban” and that more extreme measures could be enacted in the states.
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The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health was the most anticipated of the court’s term, with political tension surrounding the fight over abortion rights erupting in May with the leak of a draft opinion indicating a majority of justices intended to end the long-standing precedent.
The justices were considering a Mississippi law that would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The law had not taken effect because lower courts said it was at odds with the national right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade in 1973 and affirmed by subsequent Supreme Court rulings.
In their joint dissent, the court’s three liberal justices took note of the states that will move quickly to restrict abortion access and emphasized the sweeping impact of the court’s decision on the rights of women to terminate their pregnancies.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who helped shepherd several conservative justices onto the court, celebrated the Supreme Court ruing as “courageous and correct” and said the American people have gotten “their voice back” on the issue.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) warned that her Republican colleagues in Congress are now “plotting a nationwide abortion ban” and that more extreme measures could be enacted in the states.
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Abortion access in America

Tracking abortion access in the United States: Since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the legality of abortion has been left to individual states. The Washington Post is tracking states where abortion is legal, banned or under threat.

Abortion pills: The court battle over the abortion pill mifepristone, which is part of a two-drug regimen used to terminate early pregnancy, is ongoing. The Supreme Court now has the opportunity to rule on when and how mifepristone can be prescribed and distributed after the Justice Department asked the high court to overturn a lower-court ruling limiting access to the pill. For now, full access to mifepristone will remain in place after a Supreme Court ruling in the spring.

Post-Roe America: With Roe overturned, women who had secret abortions before Roe v. Wade felt compelled to speak out. Other women who were seeking abortions while living in states with strict abortion bans also shared their experiences with The Post through calls, text messages and other documentation. Here are photos and stories from across America since the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

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