Today, June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued its ruling in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson. The ruling overturned the prior decision, by a vote of 6-3. It also overturned the previous decision, by a vote of 5-4, of Roe v. Wade (1973), which legalized abortion nationwide 49 years ago. It also overturned the prior decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. This means the legality of an abortion will now be determined by each state.
Only 5 Justices voted to overturn Roe. Chief Justice John Roberts dissented. Once again Roberts betrays his supposed conservative pedigree! He also was the deciding vote in the case which legalized homosexual “marriage.” So disappointing. He is truly a conservative in name only!
Here is the background and particulars of the rulings:
1. What was the case about?
The case, known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, involved a 2018 Mississippi law restricting most abortions after 15 weeks. “Dobbs” stands for Thomas E. Dobbs, who serves as the state health officer of the Mississippi State Department of Health. Jackson Women’s Health Organization provides abortion in Jackson, Mississippi, and is the only abortion clinic in that state.
The case centered on the question of “Whether all pre-viability prohibitions on elective abortions are unconstitutional,” or whether states can ban abortion before a fetus can survive outside the womb. The case challenges two landmark abortion cases that Mississippi calls “egregiously wrong”: Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
2. Why did the case challenge Roe and Casey?
In Roe v. Wade, the court ruled that states could not ban abortion before viability, which the court determined to be 24 to 28 weeks into pregnancy. Nearly 20 years later, the court upheld Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey. The 1992 ruling said that while states could regulate pre-viability abortions, they could not enforce an “undue burden,” defined by the court as “a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus.”
Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act, the subject of the Dobbs case, bans abortion weeks before the point of viability.
“Under the Constitution, may a State prohibit elective abortions before viability? Yes,” Mississippi argues in its brief. “Why? Because nothing in constitutional text, structure, history, or tradition supports a right to abortion.”
3. Who argued the case before the court?
Three people spoke before the justices in December 2021. Scott G. Stewart, the solicitor general of Mississippi, was given 35 minutes to represent the state. For Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Julie Rikelman, litigation director of the Center for Reproductive Rights, was given 20 minutes. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth B. Prelogar had 15 minutes to argue in support of Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
4. How can Americans hear or read the arguments that were made?
The Supreme Court website offers an audio recording and transcripts of the arguments.
5. What did the Court rule in June?
The Supreme Court overturned Roe and Casey in a historic 6-3 decision released Friday that brought a sudden and dramatic end to nearly a half-century of nationwide legalized abortion in the U.S.
“Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority,” the opinion states. “We now overrule these decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives.”
The decision does not ban or criminalize abortion, nor does it recognize an unborn child’s constitutional right to life. But in one stroke, the court’s action sweeps away entrenched legal barriers, created and strictly enforced by the federal judiciary, that for decades have blocked states like Mississippi from heavily restricting or prohibiting the killing of unborn children in the womb.
The ruling marks a watershed moment for the pro-life movement in the United States, which have painstakingly sought Roe’s reversal since the landmark 7-2 decision was handed down on Jan. 19, 1973.
6. What happens now?
In more than a dozen states, abortion is now completely illegal, with a few exceptions, while several other states in the country have passed laws to protect abortion within their borders.
Abortion has the potential to be a major issue in the November elections in the U.S., but early polling suggests economic problems such as inflation may play more of a role.
There have already been attempts in the Senate to pass a codification of Roe v. Wade into federal law, but so far these have failed, with Democrat Joe Manchin joining all the senate Republicans in opposition. Political observers have speculated that even if Democrats abolished the filibuster rule — which requires 60 votes to break a filibuster from the minority — they may still not have enough votes to pass a codification of Roe v. Wade.
Plus, there is a chance that, in light of the Dobbs ruling, the Supreme Court could strike down a federal law attempting to codify abortion rights.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2022/06/24/updated-6-things-to-know-about-roe-v-wade-dobbs-v-jackson-and-the-supreme-court/
This is a joyful day for all those who cherish life and believe it is a sacred gift from God which ONLY HE has the right to take. Roe vs Wade was overturned today.
We pray in thanksgiving to God for the historic decision. Let us pray for the safety of the 6 Supreme Court justices who ruled in favor of abolishing Roe. Their bravery, commitment to pro-life values, and courage are to be commended. The lunatic leftists have already fomented such hatred against the 6 Justices (and they released their home addresses) that a man tried to murder Justice Kavanaugh at his home.
The ruling holds drastic ramifications, both immediate and long-term. More than twenty states currently have laws on the books that would effectively ban abortion within their borders upon Roe’s fall. We currently have a Democrat governor in my state of Pennsylvania who promised to veto any legislation making abortion illegal. But we have a Republican majority state legislature and if we can elect a Republican pro-life governor in the next election we can outlaw this heinous practice of abortion!
Abortion on demand (at all stages of development, including late term) has become the sine qua non of the American Democrat Party. LGBT insanity is making headway, but abortion still rules as the lifeblood of the Democrat platform. Expect the lunatic leftists to foment more rebellion, violence and destruction and general mayhem against those who are pro-life. The current Biden appointed Justice Department head Attorney General Merrick B. Garland has literally done nothing to protect pro-life people who witness at abortion centers, and pro-life centers that assist mothers before and after their babies are born! This man is a devil!! After REPEATED attacks in recent weeks, he has failed to lift a finger.
We must rebuild a culture which values life, at all stages. A true resurgence of pro-life values, and establishing the pro-life position as a hyper majority viewpoint will only happen if millions of Americans repent, believe the Gospel, and trust in Christ alone as Lord and Savior!! The Christian position is pro-life. Period!! If you claim to be a Christian, yet you are pro-abortion then you aren’t a true believer!
I rejoice at the countless lives that will be saved by this historic legal decision, yet I weep that it’s taken 65 MILLION unborn lives for this to finally happen. I pray for the day when ALL ABORTIONS are made illegal in all 50 states and that includes all cases of rape, incest, etc.
I also hope more Americans will see the causal link between feminism and abortion. Nearly every evil of modern society can be linked in some way back to feminism!
Just to show you how deeply saturated the culture of death is in America, I have read numerous accounts of public officials, celebrities, doctors, and even our President lamenting over the fact that fewer children will be brutally slaughtered. It illustrated that they are Hell-bound reprobates, that Satan is their father, and that God has given them over to a depraved mind.
Josh Shapiro, the Democratic nominee for governor in Pennsylvania, said he will keep abortion legal if he were to be elected governor. He tweeted “This is a devastating day in America.” President Joe Biden, a lifelong Roman Catholic, condemned the ruling, calling it a “sad day” for America. Imagine how wicked you are to call the saving of precious lives “devastating” and asserting that a day which protects the unborn is a “sad day.” President Biden it was a “sad day” when you were elected. Mr. Shapiro, you will find Hell to be very “devastating” indeed!!!
Here is the official text of the Supreme Court decision:
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (19-1392)
The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion; Roe v. Wade, 410 U. S. 113, and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pa. v. Casey, 505 U. S. 833, are overruled; the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.
Here are individual PDFs you can download of each Justice’s comments:
Zach Uram's Blog 