- Several right-leaning states have imposed immediate bans on abortion.
- President Joe Biden calls the ruling a “tragic error” stemming from “extreme ideology”.
- Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calls it “horrific”, and French President Emmanuel Macron “solidarity with women”.
Protesters were expected to take to the streets across the United States on Saturday, as outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to abolish the right to abortion ruling.
Several right-wing states imposed immediate abortion bans after the Supreme Court slashed five decades of constitutional protections for the procedure on Friday, prompting leaders around the world to express concern.
The conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states could restrict or ban the procedure themselves.
Read More: US Supreme Court strikes down right to abortion
“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” the court said in a 6-3 ruling on one of America’s most bitterly divisive issues. “The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
A somber President Joe Biden called the ruling a “tragic error” stemming from “extreme ideology”.
“The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden said, warning that other rights such as same-sex marriage and contraception could be threatened next.
The Democratic president urged Congress to restore abortion protections as federal law and said Roe would be “on the ballot” in November’s midterm elections.
We need to restore the protections of Roe as law of the land. We need to elect officials who will do that. pic.twitter.com/fnDEKiWnzI
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) June 25, 2022
Criticism of the Supreme Court decision also came from abroad, including from US allies like Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a big step backwards.”
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called it “horrific,” while French President Emmanuel Macron expressed “solidarity with women whose freedoms are today challenged.”
The news coming out of the United States is horrific. My heart goes out to the millions of American women who are now set to lose their legal right to an abortion. I can’t imagine the fear and anger you are feeling right now.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) June 24, 2022
Read More: US Supreme Court says Americans have right to carry guns in public
L’avortement est un droit fondamental pour toutes les femmes. Il faut le protéger. J’exprime ma solidarité avec les femmes dont les libertés sont aujourd’hui remises en cause par la Cour suprême des États-Unis d’Amérique.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 24, 2022
Acknowledging the international concerns, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted his department would “remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world.”
