‘Realization Of An Extreme Ideology’

Topline

President Joe Biden blasted the Supreme Court’s landmark decision Friday to overturn the nationwide right to an abortion, which has already led to abortion bans in some states, calling it a “sad day for the court and our country.”

President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington on Friday after the Supreme Court … [+] overturned Roe v. Wade. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Key Facts

Biden said the decision was the culmination of a Republican-led “deliberate effort over decades to upset the balance of our law,” calling the decision the “realization of an extreme ideology.”

The president stated the three conservative justices former President Donald Trump appointed to the court were at the “core of today’s decision to upend the scales of justice.”

Biden called on Congress to enact laws to codify a nationwide right to abortion–a move not expected given the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Biden demanded protests in the wake of Friday’s ruling remain peaceful, while urging those opposed to the decision to show up to vote in the midterms, saying, “this fall, Roe is on the ballot.”

Crucial Quote

“With Roe gone, let’s be very clear–the health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden said.

Key Background

The Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in a 6-3 decision along ideological lines Friday morning, granting states the ability to prohibit abortion. Bans went into effect in Kentucky and Louisiana immediately after the ruling dropped, while 11 states with so-called “trigger laws” were set to soon follow. The Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights organization, expects up to 26 states will enact bans after the overturn of Roe. Justice Samuel Alito wrote the opinion for the court, calling the 1973 Roe ruling “egregiously wrong,” saying abortion rights are not “deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition.”

What To Watch For

Justice Clarence Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion that the Supreme Court “should consider” review other landmark cases that guarantee rights like birth control and same-sex marriage.

Tangent

Polling has consistently suggested the vast majority of Americans support abortion staying legal.