The fallout from Friday’s Supreme Court decision to end Roe V. Wade, a landmark decision protecting a woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion, could linger for years as individual states begin to draft their own laws on the issue.
Protesters across the country, and on both sides of the debate, went toe to toe this weekend.
In Washington, Democrats vowed to fight the High Court’s ruling, while Republicans look to the future of an America without a federal law allowing abortion.
“Because (of) the Supreme Court’s decision, overturning Roe v. Wade, correcting that flawed decision finally allows states and Congress to protect life in ways that we never were able to for the last 50 years,” said Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA).
Meanwhile, 13 states have already moved toward restricting the procedure with so-called trigger laws since the Supreme Court decision.
Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming enacted trigger laws that would automatically ban abortion in the first and second trimesters. Louisiana will have to wait because a New Orleans judge blocked its trigger law.
Now Congress is playing a game of tug of war as Democrats focus on passing the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would legislate legal abortion nationwide.
Missouri Secretary of State, Jay Ashcroft noted, “49-years-ago, they said ‘no’ and told us it was over. They told us to shut up and live with the killing of children.”
The next pro-life piece of legislation could be the “Providing for Life Act,” which is sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio (R).
If passed, it would pave the way for tax exemptions and healthcare options for expecting mothers and their unborn babies.
Democrats are reportedly using the SCOTUS ruling as a rally cry for the midterms, vowing to protect abortion rights where they can by expanding access to the day-after pill, providing abortion education and even exploring options to open abortion clinics on federal lands in states restricting abortion.
“I think what we need to do is when they give the Democratic party power and they actually vote for us, that we will be using, and we are willing to use the power they do give us in order to increase expansion in our majority,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).
A new poll revealed that 78 percent of Democrats are more likely to vote in this year’s midterms in response to the ruling. Only 54 percent of Republicans said they would do the same.
Dozens of states are expected to tighten abortion access because of Friday’s ruling. Pro-life supporters say the best way to fight is through financial donations to organizations you know and trust.
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