President Joe Biden has responded to a leaked draft majority opinion that reveals the Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the court case that allowed legal abortion care in the U.S.
Noting that the draft opinion has not been verified and that the Supreme Court has yet to publish its final decision on abortion, Biden stated he believes the right to abortion care services is established law.
“I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned,” he wrote in his statement.
The statement came just hours after Politico reported on a leaked draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito.that showed the Supreme Court voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The court’s decision will likely not be finalized until the end of June or early July.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Alito wrote in the document. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Should the final decision follow the same vote as the draft, it would immediately undo nearly fifty years of a federal constitutional protection of abortion rights and allow each state to decide whether to restrict or ban abortion, Politico reported. Biden also stated that after Texas recently passed its law restricting reproductive rights and abortion care access, he directed the Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel’s Office to prepare with a variety of options to respond to the loss of Roe.
“We will be ready when any ruling is issued,” he wrote.
In addition, Biden urged Americans to vote for pro-choice representatives who could pass a law to codify the right to abortion care in the U.S.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."