Here's How The Country Responded to the Roe V. Wade Overturn

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued the overturn of Roe V. Wade, a legal case in which the Supreme Court in 1973 prohibited excessive regulation of abortion across the U.S. This case decision was leaked in an opinion draft a few weeks ago.

Politicians Across the Country (and beyond) React

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY)

Politicians across the country reacted differently to the announcement. New York governor Kathy Hochul said in a tweet that she condemned the decision, and abortion will remain accessible in the state of New York.

Gov. Kim Reynolds (R-IA)

Iowa governor Kim Reynolds tweeted that she supported the decision.

Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)

Governor Abbott of Texas endorsed the decision by the Supreme Court and issued the following statement:

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI)

Governor Whitmer said the decision was devastating and pledged to protect abortion rights in the following tweet.

Gov. Chris Sununu (D-NH)

The governor of New Hampshire stated that the decision of the Supreme Court will not impact access to abortion in New Hampshire.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL)

The possible 2024 GOP front-runner released this statement expressing relief after the SCOTUS decision.  

Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA)

The newly Republican governor in an election that ended in a wake-up call for Democrats supported the decision and announced plans for a 15-week abortion ban. He later said that a compromise of a 20-week ban might be necessary for in to pass in Virginia's congress.

Xavier Becerra - Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services

Xavier Becerra stated that the decision was "unconscionable" and that abortion is an essential part of health care, and patients must have autonomy over their own bodies.

Donald Trump (R) - Former President

The former president endorsed the decision made by the court in an interview with Fox News. He stated that "This is following the Constitution, and giving rights back when they should have been given long ago" and that "God made the decison".

The case was successfully overturned because of three conservative justices that were appointed by Trump during his presidency. He stated that the decisions "were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court".

Barack Obama (D) - Former President

After the SCOTUS released it's decision, Barack Obama condemned the overturn of Roe V. Wade on Twitter, calling it an attack on the freedoms of millions of Americans."

Justin Trudeau - Prime Minister of Canada

The Canadian Prime Minister posted this tweet after the ruling.

Michelle Bachelet - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

The UN commissioner spoke out against the SCOTUS ruling.

"Access to safe, legal and effective abortion is firmly rooted in international human right law and is at the core of women and girls’ autonomy and ability to make their own choices about their bodies and lives, free of discrimination, violence and coercion. This decision strips such autonomy from millions of women in the US, in particular those with low incomes and those belonging to racial and ethnic minorities, to the detriment of their fundamental rights... With today’s ruling, the US is regrettably moving away from this progressive trend."

Joe Manchin had said that he would support legislation to codify Roe. However, historically Manchin's votes in the Senate had contradicted statements that he made earlier. Mike Pence had called for a full nationwide abortion ban after the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade.

Protests Unfold Across the Country

Following the decision, protests erupted in cities all the way from L.A. to New York in favor of abortion rights.

In Chicago, the Chicago Police Department reported that multiple streets were closed downtown as a result of peaceful protests taking place.

In New York, abortion rights protestors blocked Fifth avenue and W 8th Street with more than 500 attendies Friday night.

In Atlanta, police blocked off a road near the state Capitol. More than 100 people attended the protest on Friday.

In D.C., hundreds of people protested near the Union Station. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke at the protest; "In almost half of this country, states are ready to ban abortion. Outright ban abortion. That means if you are sick, if you are raped, there is incest, you are forced to have that baby or die." A man climed the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, causing traffic to stop. He said, "Let's shut it down nonviolently day after day after day till out [sic] rights are protected." The U.S. Capitol Police even stood by in riot gear as protestors demonstrated near the Supreme Court. Eight people protested near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who voted to overturn Roe V. Wade.

In Cincinnati, Ohio, a protest occured where a "solid 800" people attended, according to a local police officer.

In Austin, Texas, pro-choice protesters demonstrated against the Supreme Court. Coco Das, the organizer for the protest, said that the decision is going against public will, against the forward progress of history, and that it's taking the country generations back. “They have the minority of support in the United States because their views are so extreme, so backwards, and they are dragging us back in history," she said. She also called on Congress to codify Roe. She said that the Democratic Party was weak and cowardly on the issue.

In Phoenix, Arizona, tear gas was used to remove a large group of protestors near the state Capitol building. A representative working inside the capitol durng the protest, Sarah Liguori, shared this tweet.

In Los Angeles, tons of protestors gathered near the downtown area. The LAPD stated that they had "dealt" with the larger crowds, but smaller gatherings continued to take place.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the vandalism of a pregnancy center in Logmont, Colorado, which was covered in black spray paint saying "If abortions aren't safe, neither are you" and was set on fire, reports say.

Trigger Laws and How Abortion is Changing in the Different States

There are 13 states in the U.S. in which laws already went into effect right when Roe V. Wade was overturned. In Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Dakota, immediate abortion bans went into effect. Kentucky makes exceptions if only the life of the pregnant person is at risk. Louisiana and South Dakota also has similar laws. All abortion clinics in Louisiana has closed.

In Alabama, a judge lifted an injuction from the Human Life Protection Act, which would let the law be enforced. It bans all abortions except when the life of the pregnant person is at risk. All abortion clinics were ordered to close. Alaska's governor Mike Dunleavy will introduce a resolution to the legislature to decide whether the state will ban abortion. Abortion is banned in Missouri prohibiting doctors from performing abortions unless there is a medical emergency. We already mentioned before that Gov. Youngkin is pushing for a 15-week ban in Virginia. In Arkansas, Planned Parenthood Great Plains announced that all abortion services in the state were paused. In Ohio, state AG Yost has pushed the state's "heartbeat bill" into effect. In Texas, Whole Woman's Health has announced that it will stop abortions in there four locations in the state. In Wisconsin, Planned Parenthood had stopped all abortions at it's three clinics after the overturn of Roe V. Wade. Prosecutors from 29 states had announced that they would refuse to prosecute those providing or recieving abortions in a joint-statement. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the Department of Justice and FDA will protect abortion providers and patients and maintain access to medications.

As of right now, 16 and D.C. states have laws in place to protect the right to abortion: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinios, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.

13 states have trigger laws in place that already went into effect when Roe was overturned: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississipi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.

Several companies have announced that they will provide abortion costs, travel expenses, bail, and compensation for employees that seek to have an abortion. These companies include: Apple, Disney, Meta, Zillow, Buzzfeed, Dick's Sporting Goods, Amazon, Levi's, JPMorgan, Starbucks, Yelp, Microsoft, Netflix, Mastercard, Pataginia, Lyft, and even Tesla.