President Joe Biden has released a statement in reaction to the leaked Supreme Court decision draft that could overrule Roe v. Wade.
Biden said that the “stability of our law” demands high court not overrule the decision and that he will work to codify abortion rights into law, The Associated Press reported.
Biden reminded that the leaked decision was a draft and may not be genuine or if it is the final court decision, CNN reported.
Update 11:23 a.m. EDT May 3: Chief Justice John Roberts confirms that the draft was authentic, the AP reported.
“Yesterday, a news organization published a copy of a draft opinion in a pending case. Justices circulate draft opinions internally as a routine and essential part of the Court’s confidential deliberative work. Although the document described in yesterday’s reports is authentic, it does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case,” Roberts’ statement said.
He also called the leak a “singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here,” CNN reported.
He has asked the Marshal of the Court to investigate the leak.
Moments later, Biden spoke at Andrews Air Force Base, giving his opinion on where Roe v. Wade should stand.
He told reporters that he believes that the original decision from 1973 was the correct one, that it is a woman’s right to privacy that protects her ability to get an abortion.
Original report: The president also stressed three points about cases that the Supreme Court is deciding, including that if Roe is overturned, then the voters will have to ensure that a woman’s right to choose is protected and head to the ballot box, CNN reported.
“First, my administration argued strongly before the Court in defense of Roe v. Wade. We said that Roe is based on ‘a long line of precedent recognizing ‘the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty’… against government interference with intensely personal decisions.’ 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.
“Second, shortly after the enactment of Texas law SB 8 and other laws restricting women’s reproductive rights, I directed my Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel’s Office to prepare options for an Administration response to the continued attack on abortion and reproductive rights, under a variety of possible outcomes in the cases pending before the Supreme Court. We will be ready when any ruling is issued.
“Third, if the Court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose. And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.”
Biden’s statement came a day after Politico published a draft opinion that suggested that the Supreme Court could overturn the landmark 1973 ruling, the AP reported.
Others began weighing in on the leaked draft opinion shortly after it was published by Politico on Monday night.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a joint statement: “Every Republican Senator who supported Senator McConnell and voted for Trump Justices pretending that this day would never come will now have to explain themselves to the American people.”
Former First Lady and Sen. Hillary Clinton: “Not surprising. But still outrageous. This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law. It will kill and subjugate women even as a vast majority of Americans think abortion should be legal. What an utter disgrace.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington): “If this is true, women will be forced to remain pregnant when they don’t want to be. Extreme politicians will control patients’ most personal decisions. And extreme Republicans will have eliminated a fundamental right an entire generation of women have known their whole lives.”
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah): “Deliberation and the maintenance of decorum and confidentiality are vital to the free operation of justices and the judicial system. To violate an understanding that has held for the entire modern history of the Court — seeking to place outside political pressure on the Court and the justices themselves — is dangerous, despicable and damaging.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia): “This is the best news of our lifetime. … This is a great victory. This is a great victory for God.”
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas): “This is nothing short of a massive victory for life and will save the lives of millions of innocent babies.”
In the draft, Justice Samuel Alito, who is a member of the court’s conservative majority, wrote that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” the AP reported.
It says that there is no constitutional right to abortion service and would give the states individual authority to regulate or ban the procedure.
The opinion is in reference to a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks. The case is Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
The ruling is expected before the end of the Supreme Court’s term in either late June or early July.
Previous coverage:
• Roe v. Wade leaked opinion: What is Roe and what does it mean if it is overturned?
• Leaked draft opinion suggests SCOTUS could overturn Roe v. Wade