Vice President Kamala Harris responded on Tuesday to a leaked opinion draft indicating that the Supreme Court might be preparing to strike down the landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade.
The vice president issued an official statement upon learning that the leaked draft was genuine — a fact that was confirmed by Chief Justice John Roberts, who ordered an investigation into the leak.
After Roe leak, @VP Harris says now is "the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have." pic.twitter.com/OrvdbDMhrI
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) May 3, 2022
“The United States Supreme Court has now confirmed that the draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade is genuine,” Harris wrote.
“Roe ensures a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. It. Also, at its root, protects the fundamental right to privacy,” Harris continued. “What is clear is that the opponents of Roe want to punish women and take away their rights to make decisions about their own bodies. Republican legislators in states across the country are weaponizing the use of the law against women.”
“The rights of all Americans are at risk. If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything you have,” Harris concluded.
The vice president’s words echoed those of President Joe Biden, who said Tuesday he worried that overturning Roe v. Wade could lead to the erosion of other rights for Americans.
‘It concerns me a great deal that we’re gonna, after 50 years, decide that a woman does not have the right to choose’ — Pres. Biden comments on the Supreme Court possibly overturning Roe v. Wade and how it could affect many other rights for Americans pic.twitter.com/ocR6Ycr8IA
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 3, 2022
Harris’ comments were also strikingly similar to those made by Joy Behar on Tuesday’s broadcast of the ABC midday talk show “The View.” Behar warned that she could “see fascism” coming, arguing that if the court were to overturn Roe, conservatives would likely come for other issues like same sex marriage or even bring back segregation by overturning Brown v. Board of Education.
Behar then claims the conservative justices will go after Brown v. Board and take away the right to vote.
"I see fascism down the line here," she insisted. pic.twitter.com/GqO9rZuSsQ— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) May 3, 2022
“It sounds to me that they all felt there was precedence and they would honor the precedent,” Behar said. “And now the opposite is happening, not that I was surprised. We saw this coming. My worry that this is just the beginning, next they will go after gay marriage and maybe the Board v. — what is it, Brown v. Board of Education. They already eroded our voting rights a little bit. So I see some — I see fascism down the line, I don’t know.”