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

A majority of Americans do not want the US Supreme Court to overturn the precedent established in a landmark case protecting the right to abortion care without excessive government intervention, according to a recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Poll after poll has shown significant support for Roe and the constitutional right to seek abortion services, with a poll in September 2021 showing 65 per cent of respondents in support of the 1973 law.

The poll, for Fox News, was the highest ever figure for the conservative TV network.

Republican senators have expressed outrage over the leak of a draft opinion of the Supreme Court’s decision that would effectively overturn Roe v Wade. But when asked what the consequences should be for abortion providers or women who seek abortions, Republicans mostly said it would be up to states to decide.

“I think there should be an investigation about the leak, it’s an outrage and unprecedented in the history of our Republican,” said Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, whose state’s law that bans abortion after 15 weeks is at the centre of the case before the Supreme Court.

Abortion rights advocates and civil rights groups have pledged to challenge a pair of Oklahoma laws banning abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and making abortion care a felony punishable up to 10 years in prison.

A judge has rejected a request for a temporary restraining order to block the six-week ban, which now immediately goes into effect.

For at least two generations of American women, the constitutional protections affirmed by the Supreme Court’s 1973 ruling in Roe v Wade were both practical safeguards and a symbol of bodily autonomy and a women’s agency used to navigate the fragility of abortion care in the US.

If the court overturns that precedent, abortion advocates warn Americans must “brace for a future where more and more people are punished and criminalised for seeking and providing abortion care.”

The Independent’s Andrew Buncombe on what the forthcoming ruling could mean for the court –and its growing abuse by religious activists – as well as midterm elections, the Biden administration and abortion rights in America:

Stephen Colbert, a self-proclaimed devout Christian and Sunday school teacher, addressed his audience late Tuesday night with a reflection that seemed to sum up a lot of the sentiment in the country after a draft opinion threatening to reverse Roe v Wade was leaked late Monday night.

“Well, f***,” the late night host began with an exasperated sigh. “You know what we’re going to be talking about tonight, so strap in.”

He went on to explain how his original plan for that night’s monologue had been discussing Monday’s night’s MET Gala, but, he joked, he was now forced to talk about “another group of out of touch people in crazy outfits pretending that it’s 1895, the Supreme Court”.

“So congratulations ladies - decisions about what you can do with your body are now being made by four old dudes and a woman who thinks The Handmaid’s Tale is a romcom,” the late night host quipped, referring to the popular book-turned-TV series set in a dystopic America where women are forced to live as concubines under a theocratic dictatorship.

After a series of hot takes, the CBS host then took the justices to task who had previously claimed during their confirmation hearings - namely, Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh - that Roe was “settled as a precedent” and “law of the land”.

“American voters support abortion in all or most cases at 80 per cent. They knew that if they were honest, they wouldn’t get the job, so they lied, which I think is perjury,” Colbert said. “But what do I know? I’m not a Supreme Court justice. I’m not a good enough liar.”

Watch the full Tuesday night monologue below.

In the wake of a draft outlining the potential overturn of the landmark legislation Roe v Wade being leaked on Monday night, there is going to be an immediate political fallout for both Democrats and Republicans, analysts agree. Particularly, they note, as the two parties look ahead to the fall midterms.

But the GOP, the party that has championed the cause of reversing the near half a century old precedent, could feel that heat more intensely, The Independent’s senior Washington correspondent writes.

To continue reading the op-ed from The Independent’s Eric Garcia, click below.

Politico, the outlet behind the historic scoop about a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that could strike down Roe v Wade, has reportedly told its staff entering their building to remain “vigilant” about who enters the office elevators with them.

The New York Times reporter Katie Robertson, who covers the media, tweeted on Tuesday about an internal memo sent to Politico employees that detailed how they were being cautioned in the wake of the leak the outlet first reported on.

“Politico employees have been advised to be vigilant about who enters elevators with them at the office, and to consider removing any personal details from social media accounts that identify them as Politico staff, according to an internal memo,” Ms Robertson tweeted.

In addition to Monday’s leaked draft that outlines a potential overturning of Roe v Wade, last week, Oklahoma approved a bill to outlaw abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, even in the case of rape and incest.

While the bill makes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as ectopic pregnancies, state senator Warren Hamilton questioned why it should do so during a debate on the wider abortion ban.

His comments prompted hundreds of women on social media to share their experiences with ectopic pregnancies and how having an abortion saved their lives, and accused Hamilton of wanting to “sentence women to death”.

Continue reading the full article from The Independent below, which explains the risks and concerns associated with an ectopic pregnancy.

Former President Barack Obama issued a statement Tuesday concerning the leaked Supreme Court draft decision aiming at overturning Roe v. Wade.

“If the Supreme Court ultimately decides to overturn the landmark case of Roe v. Wade, then it will not only reverse nearly 50 years of precedent – it will relegate the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues.

Few, if any women, make the decision to terminate a pregnancy casually – and people of goodwill, across the political spectrum, can hold different views on the subject. But what Roe recognised is that the freedom enshrined in the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution requires all of us to enjoy a sphere of our lives that isn’t subject to meddling from the state – a sphere that includes personal decisions involving who we sleep with, who we marry, whether or not to use contraception, and whether or not to bear children.”

Mr Obama has faced criticism today for failing to codify Roe v. Wade into law during his presidency, which he said would be the “first thing he would do” as president.

He later said codifying the law was “not his highest legislative priority” when asked why he failed to deliver on his promise.

Read his full statement below.