President Joe Biden addressed the country hours after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, ruling that the right to an abortion is not a constitutional right.
Speaking from the White House, Biden began his remarks by saying: “It’s a sad day for the court and for the country,” referring to the Supreme Court opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, that garnered a 6-3 majority.
“With Roe gone, let’s be very clear, the health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden added.
“The court has done what it has never done before: expressly take away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans,” he said.
Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey previously guaranteed access to an abortion until around the 24th week of pregnancy, as Kelsey Dallas reported for the Deseret News.
What did Biden say about the future of Roe v. Wade?
Biden pointed to elections at the local and congressional level as a stepping stone to overhaul the conservative majority in the Supreme Court and make a change on the federal level.
“Voters need to make their voices heard,” Biden said, per NPR. “This fall Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality, they’re all on the ballot.”
He also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that abortion pills are available to Americans, even as some states move to ban the practice, according to The New York Times.
Thirteen states have “trigger laws” that allow states to outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade was overturned.
Biden said that “politicians cannot interfere in decisions made between a woman and her doctor,” adding that Roe v. Wade ultimately “recognized the fundamental right to privacy and “the right to make the best decisions for yourself.”
He asked the public to keep all protests peaceful. While addressing women in the United States, he said: “I hear you, I support you, I stand with you.”
“This is not over,” Biden said in conclusion.
Past and present
The president disapproved of overturning Roe v. Wade when a draft of the Supreme Court opinion leaked earlier in May.
“I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental,” Biden said at the time. “Roe has been the law of the land for almost 50 years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned.”
The president, in his 2007 book “Promises to Keep,” revealed his personal opinion on the subject, per CNN: “I personally am opposed to abortion, but I don’t think I have the right to impose my view — on something I accept as a matter of faith — on the rest of society. I’ve thought a lot about it, and my position probably doesn’t please anyone. I think the government should stay out completely.”