By now, we’ve all had a few days to think about and digest what the Supreme Court ruled on Friday regarding Roe v. Wade. Now, the fallout from the decision.
First of all, I don’t think anyone was surprised by the decision. With the leaked draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito, we pretty much knew this was coming. Still, I think hearing it officially was jarring.
I’ll get this out of the way right now on where I stand. I’m a white male. I don’t have any right to tell a woman what she can or can’t do with her body.
Now, what happens next? Overturning Roe v. Wade means the states now decide if abortion is legal. CNN reports that at least ten states have effectively banned abortion since Friday’s ruling. In all, 26 states have laws that outlaw or set extreme limits on abortions.
Florida is front and center now. A judge in Leon County will hear arguments today about this state’s new abortion law.
The New York Times reports that health care providers have asked a judge to temporarily block the state’s new ban on abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. It is set to take effect on Friday.
The argument is that the law violates the Florida constitution. Specifically, that the law violates a person’s individual privacy rights.
In California, lawmakers are expected to put a state constitutional amendment on the ballot that would protect reproductive rights.
It’s hard to ignore the politics of this. Senator Elizabeth Warren says, “We need more justices on the United States Supreme Court.”
Senator Lindsey Graham is calling for restraint in protests: “ When Roe came out, we didn’t burn down the Capitol as conservatives. We didn’t go to liberal justices’ homes and tried to intimidate them.”
What had looked like a Republican landslide in the midterms has changed. Will abortion displace the economy as voters’ top concern?
Jonathan Swann from Axios was on Fox News Sunday. He said, “They’ve got probably the most horrible political environment for Democrats in a decade and this issue has been for some extent a life raft for them.”
We will see. A CBS News poll taken just after the Supreme Court’s ruling shows a clear majority do not approve of the decision.
I said at the top that I think the decision to have an abortion should be left to a woman. It’s her choice.
In his opinion on the Roe v. Wade reversal, Justice Clarence Thomas said rulings on gay rights and contraception should be reconsidered too.
I’m gay. I have an opinion on this one. Leave me alone. Leave my marriage alone. Love is love, Justice Thomas.