Today (June 24), a historic decision regarding women’s rights was made. After months of rumors and speculation, the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade. A woman’s ability to undergo an abortion will now depend on whether or not her state is for or against the procedure.
As news continues to spread, it appears the decision went into effect immediately. It is being reported that Planned Parenthood locations across the country have begun canceling scheduled abortions. Sources say cancellations have already happened in Arkansas, Texas and Wisconsin, with the possibility that more states will do the same. Tanya Atkinson, president and CEO of the Wisconsin branch, says the organization will assist patients in finding states where abortion is still legal.
Before today’s Supreme Court decision, several states had laws that prohibited abortions from taking place unless it was an emergency procedure to save the mother’s life. Cases of rape or incest were not a part of the exception. Arkansas is one of those states. According to Little Rock CBS affiliate THV 11, performing an abortion on someone in that state could be considered a felony with a $100,000 fine or at least 10 years in prison.
Emily Wales (president and CEO, Planned Parenthood in Great Plains) said, “Two hundred and fifty years ago, our country’s founders said, ‘All men are created equal.’ Today, the Supreme Court took the ‘men’ part literally, stripping rights from every woman in America. State by state, we have seen access to abortion virtually eliminated.”
“BREAKING: The Supreme Court just overturned Roe v. Wade, ending our constitutional right to abortion. We know you may be feeling a lot of things right now hurt, anger, confusion. Whatever you feel is OK. We’re here with you and we’ll never stop fighting for you,” Planned Parenthood said in a tweet.