Photo Credit: Jacquelyn Martin
Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of the Roe v. Wade ruling three months ago, United States Vice President Kamala Harris stated her disagreement with the Court, describing the Court as an “activist court.”
“We had an established right for almost half a century, which is the right of women to make decisions about their own body as an extension of what we have decided to be, the privacy rights to which all people are entitled. And this Court took that constitutional right away, and we are suffering as a nation because of it,” said Harris.
The Vice President made the comments in response to the criticism the White House is facing after the Justices decided to throw out the critical case. Harris has made no secret of the fact that she disapproves of the SC’s judgment. The new ruling invalidated women’s federally protected right to an abortion. Harris argues that the ruling only hurt several parties, particularly women who are now denied their freedom to choose.
Harris has been visiting agencies and organizations around the country since the Supreme Court reversed the 1973 decision. The vice president met with key stakeholders to discuss its implications.
“[It has caused me] great concern about the integrity of the court overall, especially as someone who my life was inspired by people like Thurgood Marshall, the work on that court of Earl Warren,” Harris stated.
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Harris is fighting for the country’s abortion rights
As soon as she ran for vice president, Harris never shied away from expressing her support for abortion rights. Additionally, Harris’ effort to bring about change in states with severe laws opposing abortion rights included this goal when she was nominated three years ago for the Democratic presidential poll.
“We cannot tolerate a perspective that is about going backward and not understanding women have agency,” said Harris.
Prior to this, Harris spoke to the media about her mistrust of a number of justices appointed by the previous administration of Donald Trump.
SC overturned the landmark case of Roe v. Wade
Many people were worried about possible threats to the federal right to abortion when the Supreme Court decided to reconsider the historic case appealing the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. In fact, the Supreme Court reversed the decision by a vote of 5 to 4, sending pro-choice and pro-life activists into a flurry.
After the verdict was made public, a large number of people protested against the SC’s standpoint. President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and Vice President Kamala Harris were among the leaders who voiced their disapproval.
“It’s a sad day for the Court and for the country. It was three justices named by one president, Donald Trump, who were 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 upset the balance of our law,” expressed Biden in a statement.
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“The Court has done what it’s never done before, expressly take away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans that had already been recognized. The Court’s decision to do so will have real and immediate consequences,” Biden added.
The judgment is “such an insult, a slap in the face to women,” said Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House, in a statement to the media.
“There’s no point in saying good morning because it certainly is not one. This morning the radical Supreme Court is eviscerating women’s rights and endangering their health and safety,” Pelosi further said.
However, the Court’s majority maintained their position and explained: “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
Source: CNN
