Marjorie Taylor Greene
Exclusive: Lawmakers join protest outside Supreme Court over abortion ruling
June 24, 2022 12:54PM ET
Protesters outside Supreme Court after Dobbs v. Jackson ruling. (Matt Laslo/The Raw Story)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Throngs of protesters, including some Democratic lawmakers, marched on the U.S. Supreme Court after the right-wing majority struck down abortion rights.
The justices ruled 6-3 in Dobbs v. Jackson to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling on Roe v. Wade, and protesters chanting "we won't go back" walked to the barriers that have been placed around the court.
"This is the worst decision we could have had," said Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME). "We have to let our constituents know that we're not going to give up the fight. This is really important. We trust women, and we won't go back."
Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL) told the Raw Story the ruling established "government-mandated pregnancies," and would set women's rights back more than 50 years.
READ MORE: Legal analyst warns the Supreme Court has just unleashed ‘legal chaos’
"That's why I'm marching," she said. "Got to do something about this."
The ruling will likely set into motion a cavalcade of new laws in roughly half of the 50 US states that will severely restrict or outright ban and criminalize abortions, forcing women to travel long distances to states that still permit the procedure.
The opinion shredded the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling by the nation's highest court that said women had the right to abortion based on the constitutional right to privacy over their own bodies.
Alito's opinion largely mirrors his draft opinion that was the subject of an extraordinary leak in early May, sparking demonstrations around the country and tightened security at the court in downtown Washington.
Barricades have been erected around the court to keep back the protesters gathered outside -- after an armed man was arrested on June 8 near the home of conservative justice Brett Kavanaugh.
The court's ruling goes against an international trend of easing abortion laws, including in such countries as Ireland, Argentina, Mexico and Colombia where the Catholic Church continues to wield considerable influence.
With additional reporting by AFP and Matt Laslo.
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