The Supreme Court’s watershed decision to overturn Roe v. Wade drew outrage and celebration across the country Friday, culminating in a series of nationwide protests Friday night that were largely without incident.
Some of the concerns about the end of the once federally-protected right to abortion were immediate: trigger laws put in place before the ruling meant that abortion was effectively outlawed in 13 states as soon as the decision was released Friday morning. Abortion providers in several other states stopped offering services because doctors fear criminal charges.
But in addition to the pressing questions about reproductive rights raised by the Supreme Court ruling, there are concerns about what the court could now do with other other milestone decisions, particularly after conservative Justice Clarence Thomas called for the Supreme Court to ‘reconsider’ gay marriage and contraception.
Here’s a look at what the ruling means for Americans and how the nation is responding to a fundamental change in reproductive rights.
Which states will ban abortion? Maps show how access will change with Roe v. Wade overturned
Twenty-two states have laws that could be used to restrict the legal status of abortion, according to The Guttmacher Institute, an organization that works to study, educate, and advance sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Thirteen of these states have “trigger laws” – which are now set to go into effect automatically or through swift state action because federal Roe protections no longer apply: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
Maps show changing abortion access:How states are abortion regulation after Roe v. Wade ruling
Biden again attacks Supreme Court over anti-abortion ruling
Before signing a gun control bill Saturday, President Joe Biden again had harsh words for the Supreme Court’s “shocking decision” to curtail abortion rights by striking down the Roe vs. Wade ruling.
“Jill (Biden) and I know how painful and devastating the decision is for so many Americans,” the president said at the White House.
Biden again vowed to fight state efforts to further erode reproductive rights, such as proposals that would forbid women from traveling to other states for the purpose of obtaining an abortion.
“We’re going to take action to protect women’s rights and reproductive health,” Biden added.
Biden also criticized the Supreme Court this week for a decision striking down gun control measures in New York and other states.
Asked Saturday if the institution is “broken,” Biden said: “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.”
– David Jackson
Protesters take to streets across US after Supreme Court overturns Roe
On Friday, protesters assembled outside the Supreme Court, took to the streets in large cities and gathered in town parks.
An emotional crowd of hundreds carried signs and chanted “My body, my choice” at the steps of the nation’s highest court as protesters grappled with news that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision was struck down after nearly five decades.
“I was gutted,” said Becca Waite, a traveling nurse who attend a protest in Los Angeles. “These are women’s lives at risk… There are already abortion deserts and there are already women that are disproportionately affected by this.”
Amid the protests, some anti-abortion activists heralded the day as a cause for celebration. Some even rallied outside abortion clinics and sparred with protesters.
At EMW Women’s Surgical Center, the lone full-time abortion clinic in Kentucky, a few activists gathered in the morning outside the downtown facility.
Joseph Spurgeon, a pastor at a church in nearby Jeffersonville, Indiana, said they had come out to celebrate “the grace of God,” adding he will continue to lead his congregation in pushing to outlaw not only medications capable of terminating pregnancies, but contraceptives such as Plan B.
‘I cannot believe we are here again’:Protesters take to streets across US after Supreme Court overturns Roe
4 West Coast states vow to protect abortion within their borders
As Republican lawmakers move to ban abortion in about half of U.S. states following the Supreme Court’s landmark decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a cluster of Democratic-led states on the West Coast is standing apart in a collective vow to protect abortion access.
On Friday, governors in California, Washington, Oregon and Nevada promised to protect reproductive rights and help women traveling west seeking abortions, as communities now expect an influx of visitors in search of a safe place to get the procedure.
Three of those states — California, Washington and Oregon — joined forces in what officials called a “West Coast offense.” Their goal? To locally protect and expand abortion rights that are being outlawed across the U.S.
But leaders are also signaling worry about what has yet to come –– and what other reversals may be in store after the death of Roe v. Wade
States that allow abortions:4 states on West Coast ‘put welcome sign on door’ for abortion access
Companies paying for abortion-related travel include DICK’S Sporting Goods, Disney
Corporations are in the hot seat after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday.
At least 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion as a result of the decision, according to a study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
Before Friday, many corporations avoided taking a stance on abortion rights even as states like Texas and Oklahoma passed laws that significantly restricted abortion access and a leak of the draft ruling was published.
A handful of companies including Match Inc., Bumble, Amazon, Citigroup, Salesforce, Tesla, Lyft, Yelp and JPMorgan began to cover travel expenses employees may incur to get an abortion if they don’t have access to safe procedures in their home state before the ruling was officially released.
But the decision is forcing other companies to break their silence on the issue. Here’s what they’re saying:
After Roe v. Wade overturned:Companies paying for abortion-related travel include DICK’S Sporting Goods, Disney
Businesses respond:Kroger employee benefits include travel costs for abortion
Is birth control banned? Here’s what to know after Roe v. Wade overturned
With this decision, abortion will likely be banned or greatly restricted in at least 22 states, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Some experts worry these bans could trickle down to restrict the use of emergency contraception and birth control.
“The rhetoric has been really increasing over the last several years,” Mara Gandal-Power, director of birth control access at the National Women’s Law Center, said before the ruling. “There’s definitely a domino effect which I think people are really starting to wake up to.”
Health experts say what’s partly driving this legislation is the misconception that emergency contraceptives are able to terminate a pregnancy.
“The medications don’t work to abort a pregnancy,” said Dr. Mary Jacobson, an OB-GYN and chief medical officer at Alpha Medical, a telemedicine site for women’s health and sex differences. “If the patient were pregnant and took Plan B it doesn’t increase abortion and it doesn’t have any effects on the ongoing pregnancy.”
What is mifepristone, the abortion pill?:What to know after the Supreme Court overturns Roe
Can you still buy Plan B?:What to know after SCOTUS overturns Roe v. Wade
Roe v. Wade birth control: Thomas calls for SCOTUS to ‘reconsider’ gay marriage, contraception
Associate Justice