After the Supreme Court heard arguments on a Mississippi pro-life law last week, abortion advocates have reacted strongly to the possibility that Roe v. Wade could be overturned.
The Mississippi law bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. But under court precedent, states essentially have to allow a woman to be able to get an abortion up to the point of viability, which most states hold at around 20 to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
If the Supreme Court chooses to uphold the Mississippi law, the precedent could be severely undermined — and abortion advocates have responded accordingly.
On Twitter, for example, a video circulated of a Christmas tree decorated with ornaments celebrating abortion with phrases like “Pro abortion 4 eva” and “Abortion is unstoppable.”
Abortion is a sacrament of the leftist religion pic.twitter.com/TmdrCsTfFy
— Libs of Tik Tok (@libsoftiktok) December 5, 2021
In an opinion piece in The New York Times titled, “I Was Adopted. I Know the Trauma It Can Inflict,” the writer discussed the pain of adoption. Many conservatives pointed out how the essay seemed to be making the argument that it would be better to be aborted than adopted.
Additionally, some politicians are calling for Roe v. Wade to be codified into law. In September, the House of Representatives voted to pass a bill “creating a statutory right to abortion,” The Daily Wire reported.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) posted on Twitter, “We must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. And if there aren’t 60 votes to do it, and there are not, we must reform the filibuster to pass it with 50.”
We can’t go back to the days when women had to risk their lives to end an unwanted pregnancy. We must pass legislation that codifies Roe v. Wade as the law of the land. And if there aren’t 60 votes to do it, and there are not, we must reform the filibuster to pass it with 50. pic.twitter.com/FNRsYED5Ct
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) December 4, 2021
Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar (MN) made a similar point over the weekend on “Meet the Press” after she discussed Justice Elena Kagan’s points concerning Roe.
She said: “This is how our country protected rights, and now they’re willing to just flip it on its head. And so what is the answer? The answer may well be doing it through the political process now. I don’t think that’s the right thing to do, but it may be the way to do it, and I think the best way to do it is not a patchwork of state laws but to put it, codify Roe v. Wade, put it into law, and we even have some pro-choice Republicans that have signaled interest in doing that.”
Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) also joined in, tweeting, “All three of my daughters were born after Roe v. Wade – it’s unfathomable that they could soon live in a world where they would have fewer protected rights than when they were born. It’s time to codify abortion access in law.”
All three of my daughters were born after Roe v. Wade – it’s unfathomable that they could soon live in a world where they would have fewer protected rights than when they were born.
It’s time to codify abortion access in law.
— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) December 6, 2021
Last week, Senator Susan Collins — a Republican from Maine — said through a spokeswoman that she “supports the right to an abortion and believes that the protections in the Roe and Casey decisions should be passed into law.”
The Daily Wire spoke with Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser last week. She said the next steps are going to be focusing on electing pro-life lawmakers, passing pro-life laws that, as she put it, “reflect the will of the people,” and providing even more help to those who need it.
Abortion advocates have also come out strongly in defiance of any attempt to dismantle the Roe precedent, saying they will mobilize to assist women in going to other states to get abortions.
The midterm elections are coming up next fall, but according to a new Politico/Morning Consult poll, abortion doesn’t appear to be a major factor for voters. More respondents said they would vote for someone who doesn’t share their views on abortion than those who said they’d vote based on the abortion position of the candidate.
There are currently at least 21 states that have pro-life laws or constitutional amendments that would make them highly likely to move to prohibit almost all abortions in their states if Roe is overturned. There are an additional five states that would probably prohibit abortion as soon as they could. According to the Guttmacher Institute, these states include Florida, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming.