President Biden said Friday that "Roe is on the ballot" this November, hours after the Supreme Court issued a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, effectively ending all federal protections on abortion.
Driving the news: "This fall, Roe is on the ballot. Personal freedoms are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality, they're all on the ballot," he said, also urging voters to "make their voices heard."
- "Now with Roe gone, let's be very clear: The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk," Biden said from the White House, adding that "it's a sad day for the court and for the country."
- Biden slammed the ruling as a "tragic error of the Supreme Court," adding that "it's a realization of extreme ideology."
- "The court has done what it has never done before: expressly take away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans that had already been recognized," he added.
- "It was three justices named by one President Donald Trump who are the core of today's decision to upend the scales of justice and eliminate a fundamental right for women in this country."
- "Make no mistake, this decision is a culmination of a deliberate effort over decades to offset balance of our law."
Biden also called on demonstrators — "no matter how deeply they care about this decision" — to keep protests "peaceful. ... Violence is never acceptable, threats and intimidation are not speech," he said.
State of play: In the absence of Roe and other Supreme Court precedents codifying abortion access, states have the legal authority to regulate or ban the procedure at any point in a pregnancy.
- 13 states have "trigger" laws in place, which are designed to take effect shortly after Roe is overturned, with additional states expected to follow suit.
Go deeper... The latest on Roe v. Wade and abortion
Editor's note: This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
