BREAKING: US Supreme Court Overturns Roe vs Wade

The US Supreme Court has officially voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade, severely restricting abortion rights for women across the country. The ruling removes the constitutional right to end an unwanted pregnancy after nearly 50 years and could lead to all but total bans in roughly half of American states, the New York Times reports.

  1. The Republican party has been vowing to overturn the measure for decades. The conservative party has been replacing Supreme Court justices with increasingly conservative members who would vote in favor of rejecting the precedent. However, they lacked the necessary numbers until now.
  2. The move will be part of Donald Trump’s legacy. He installed three Supreme Court justices during his presidency, all of which were in the majority in the ruling, which was 6-to-3.
  3. The case, The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, No. 19-1392, was at the core of the ruling. The case was about a 2018 law enacted by the Republican-dominated Mississippi Legislature that outright banned abortions if “the probably gestational age of the unborn human” was found to be more than 15 weeks. The Times described it as a “calculated challenge to Roe” that included only “narrow exceptions for medical emergencies or a ‘severe fetal abnormality.'” The only abortion clinic in the state sued, stating that the law went against Roe and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 decision that upheld Roe.
  4. Speaker Nancy Pelosi expressed her disappointment and outrage at the ruling. She said: “This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart-wrenching. But make no mistake: the rights of women and all Americans are on the ballot this November.” Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green says “it’s great, it’s a blessing. I’ve prayed for this.”
  5. Mitch McConnell, of course, is celebrating. “Millions of Americans have spent half a century praying, marching, and working toward today’s historic victories for the rule of law and for innocent life. I have been proud to stand with them throughout our long journey and I share their joy today,” he said.

If we needed any more proof that The Handmaid’s Tale is becoming more of a reality than anyone of us would ever have believed, this is yet another example (and perhaps the biggest one in recent memory).

Jennifer has been the managing editor of Bolde since its launch in 2014. Before that, she was the founding editor of HelloGiggles and also worked as an entertainment writer for Bustle and Digital Spy. Her work has been published in Bon Appetit, Decider, Vanity Fair, The New York TImes, and many more.