The historic Roe V. Wade has been overturned by the Supreme Court and today it is labeled as a dark day in America's history. The latest ruling has sparked protest and backlash all across the country after the women's right to abortion has been overturned by the country's lawmakers.
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The US Supreme Court has overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision, confirming that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
According to CNN, justices voted 6-3 in favor of the decision, which was announced on Friday (June 24) and will have huge consequences on women's reproductive health across the country.
Back in 1973, the original Roe decision was passed by the court that offered Constitutional protection to women's right to abortion before the time at which a fetus would be viable outside the womb (usually around 24 weeks).
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The historic ruling has been overturned and each state will be able to set its own abortion rights independently unless Congress intervenes.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion:
"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division."
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There have been more than 25 states who are planning to pass laws that ban abortion, with others introducing other strict measures.
In almost 13 states the so-called trigger laws are already ruling that will restrict the access to abortions as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned. These states include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming - anti-abortion laws will go into effect immediately. In others, there is a 30-day delay period.
In the dissent, Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan wrote:
"With sorrow – for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection – we dissent. It is truly sad."
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This ruling that has already faced a lot of backlash was made possible by President Donald Trump's appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices during his time in office.
As the ruling stands, the court's conservative majority is not so strong that it can afford to lose the support of Chief Justice John Roberts - usually considered a more moderate conservative.
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