US Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights
Washington (US), June 25: The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v. Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion and ruled that states may regulate the practice of it, media reports said on Friday.
"The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe and Casey are overruled, and the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives," the ruling said, according to Sputnik reported.
The ruling was announced by a majority of conservative justices on Friday and it upholds Mississippi's 15-week abortion ban, which directly clashed with Roe's requirement that states permit abortion up to the point of fetal viability, around 24 weeks.
As a result of Roe falling, more than two dozen states, mostly in the South and Midwest, are anticipated to restrict access to abortions. According to The Hill, 13 of these states have "trigger bans" that will go into force without state intervention or automatically.
The Supreme Court ruled in favour of pregnant women's right to an abortion without undue government restrictions in the Roe v. Wade case, which was decided in 1973.
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After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision on Friday, President Joe Biden pledged to take every step his administration can to protect abortion rights.
The President termed the SC's decision a sad day for the court and the country. "It's a sad day for the court and the country. This decision must not be the final word," Biden said.
During his address at the White House on Friday, Biden further said, "It just stuns me" adding that poor women would be hit the hardest by the decision.
He further called on Congress to take action to codify protections for abortions into federal law, highlighting the importance of voters casting ballots in favour of pro-abortion candidates during elections this fall.
"This decision must not be the final word," Biden said, adding that the decision by the top court removes a constitutional right from the Americans and moves the nation back 150 years.
"The court literally is taking America back 150 years," he said.
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-PTC News
