Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade in 6-3 decision

Abortion-rights+activists+react+after+hearing+the+Supreme+Court+decision+on+abortion+outside+the+Supreme+Court+in+Washington%2C+Friday%2C+June+24%2C+2022.TheSupreme+Courthas+ended+constitutional+protections+for+abortion+that+had+been+in+place+nearly+50+years+in+a+decision+by+its+conservative+majority+to+overturn+Roe+v.+Wade.

AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Abortion-rights activists react after hearing the Supreme Court decision on abortion outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022.TheSupreme Courthas ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade.

After constant protests on behalf of DePaul students, Chicagoans and Americans at large, the Supreme Court stuck with their draft opinion from early May. 

The court, in a 6-3 decision on Friday, overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that established the constitutional right to abortion in the United States in 1973. The case expanded protections of numerous healthcare options including access to hormone treatment for trans people, birth control options and other contraceptives, legitimizing interracial marriage and general access to healthcare for people of color.

The court’s ruling gives power to individual states to set their own abortion laws without needing to meet the timeframe Roe v. Wade called for. This permitted abortions during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, 24 weeks.

Nearly half nation’s states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion within a month of the Supreme Court’s decision, according to The Washington Post. These states include Texas, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kentucky.

Other states, like Illinois, plan to uphold their  more progressive rules governing the termination of pregnancies, according to NBC Chicago.

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion leading to the overturn of Roe. Five other conservatives on the high court, including Chief Justice John Roberts, all voted alongside Alito for the final and draft ruling, according to CNBC.

The court’s three liberal justices filed a dissenting opinion to the ruling, according to CNBC.

Ultimately, the case that triggered Roe’s fall after almost 50 years, known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, is a result of the Mississippi law banning most abortion operations after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

For people with uteruses and anyone that is impacted by the overturning of Roe v. Wade looking for resources, DePaul’s Women’s Center is available to help and provide resources as well as the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness.