Barack & Michelle Obama Blast Draft Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Abortion Rights
Barack and Michelle Obama asked people to ‘join the activists who’ve been sounding the alarm on’ the abortion rights issue ‘for years,’ in a lengthy statement that opposed the Supreme Court’s leaked opinion.
Barack and Michelle Obama are speaking out against the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe Vs. Wade and take away abortion rights, in a new statement. The former president and first lady shared the lengthy statement to Twitter one day after the draft document was released by Politico, and wrote that taking away a women’s reproductive rights would affect every American.
Here’s my statement with Michelle on the draft Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. pic.twitter.com/xBJJkLYGlQ
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) May 3, 2022
“The consequences of this decision would be a blow not just to women, but to all of us who believe that in a free society, there are limits to how much the government can encroach on our personal lives,” part of their statement read.
The Obamas continued to explain that if Roe Vs. Wade is overturned, “those without enough money or access to transportation” to travel to states without restrictions on abortions, would “desperately” seek out “illegal abortions that inevitably pose great risks to their health, their future ability to bear children, and sometimes their lives.”
“That’s a result none of us should want,” the statement further explained. “But it should serve as a powerful reminder of the central role the courts play in protecting our rights — and of the fact that elections have consequences.”
The Obamas also pointed out that the Supreme Court has previously tried to strike a balance when it’s faced with complicated questions and after Roe Vs. Wade was passed in 1973, previous rulings about abortion rights have upheld some state restrictions on abortions.
“But this draft decision doesn’t seek to balance these interests,” the statement read. “Instead, it simply forces folks to give up any constitutionally recognized interest in what happens to their body once they get pregnant. Under the Court’s logic, state legislatures could dictate that women carry every pregnancy to term, no matter how early it is and no matter what circumstances led to it — even rape or incest.”
Shortly before Barack and Michelle released their statement, which can be read in full above, President Joe Biden spoke out in support of Roe Vs. Wade. in his own statement. “First, my administration argued strongly before the Court in defense of Roe v. Wade. We said that Roe is based on ‘a long line of precedent recognizing ‘the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty’ … against government interference with intensely personal decisions.’ I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned,” he wrote.