US Abortion Law Overturned After 49 Years... Biden Calls Supreme Court Ruling Reversal a "Sad Day"

President Joe Biden [Photo by AP]

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 24th (local time), the U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned the so-called 'Roe v. Wade' ruling that legalized abortion for women up to six months of pregnancy. The ruling, originally made in 1973, was officially reversed, leading to widespread assessments that abortion rights, which had been guaranteed at the federal level for about 50 years, have significantly regressed. U.S. President Joe Biden criticized the decision in an urgent national address, calling it "a sad day for the country and the courts."

The Supreme Court, in the majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito, stated, "The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and such a right is not implicitly protected by any constitutional provision." It also declared, "It is now time to return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives in accordance with the Constitution."

Accordingly, the decision on whether to maintain abortion rights will be transferred to the authority of each state government and legislature. It is expected that legislation and policy implementation related to abortion issues will accelerate by state. The U.S. Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights advocacy group, had estimated that about 26 states would effectively ban abortion if the Supreme Court’s existing precedent were invalidated.

This officially overturns the Roe v. Wade ruling made in 1973. In January 1973, the Supreme Court ruled 7 to 2 in Roe v. Wade that a woman’s right to abortion falls under the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This ruling was reaffirmed in the 1992 case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey. Based on this, abortion ban legislation in various states across the U.S. was effectively prohibited or rendered obsolete.

On this day, the Supreme Court voted 6 to 3 to uphold Mississippi’s abortion ban law, which conflicted with Roe v. Wade. In the vote on whether to overturn the Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey rulings, the decision was made to overturn by a 5 to 4 margin.

Local media interpret this Supreme Court ruling as a result of the court becoming more conservative following the successive appointments of conservative justices during the Donald Trump administration. Among the nine federal justices, six are conservative. The three justices appointed by President Trump, including Justice Brett Kavanaugh, all voted in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade. Conversely, the three liberal justices unanimously opposed the decision.

With the midterm elections coming up in November, abortion law is emerging as an election issue, and political debates are expected to intensify. In his speech, President Biden condemned the ruling, saying, "It’s like returning to the 1800s when abortion was illegal under state law," and "The Supreme Court has set America back 150 years."

He criticized, "Now that Roe v. Wade is gone, the health and lives of women in this country are at risk," and "The court has done something unprecedented in history. It has taken away fundamental constitutional rights from too many Americans." He added, "I have reviewed the ruling, and I believe the Roe v. Wade decision was constitutionally correct," and "From my perspective, this is a tragic error committed by the Supreme Court."

President Biden is reportedly reviewing executive orders in response to this ruling. These are expected to include measures to facilitate the purchase of abortion pills or to enable women to receive abortion procedures in other states.

Concerns have also been raised about violent protests and clashes between pro- and anti-abortion groups surrounding the ruling. According to a Gallup poll released on the 2nd, 55% of respondents expressed support for abortion rights.