(WASHINGTON) — U.S. forces killed a senior terrorist leader in an airstrike in Syria on Monday, according to military officials.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the target of the strike, Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, was a senior leader of an al-Qaida-affiliated terrorist group known as Hurras al-Din.
The leader was riding alone on a motorcycle in Idlib province at the time of the attack, CENTCOM said.
Violent groups like Hurras al-Din pose an ongoing threat to the U.S. and its allies, according to the statement.
“The removal of this senior leader will disrupt Al Qaeda’s ability to carry out attacks against U.S. citizens our partners, and innocent civilians around the world,” the statement said.
An early review showed no sign of civilian casualties, according to the U.S. military.
The strike came 10 days after a rare ground raid by U.S. forces in northwestern Syria captured a top ISIS leader.
(WASHINGTON) — In his speech responding to last week’s landmark Supreme Court decision reversing the guarantee to abortion access, President Joe Biden urged Americans to vote on the issue — to both elect local leaders who would ensure the availability of abortion in their states as well as Democrats to Congress where he would like to see a law passed cementing a nationwide right to an abortion.
Within minutes of Biden’s remarks, there was a collective eye roll from many progressive activists, reproductive health care advocates and even fellow Democratic lawmakers online.
Then Friday afternoon, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a group singing “God Bless America” on the Capitol steps and that eye roll from the left turned into a groan.
“‘Vote!” and fundraising emails are the Democrat’s version of ‘thoughts and prayers,'” Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders who is a favorite in progressive circles, wrote on Twitter.
Monica Lewsinky echoed that, writing: “It’s not a time for words -poems + singing on the steps. Time for action: get rid of the filibuster, pack the f—- court + codify roe. at least put up a fight.”
Across the country, there were scenes over the weekend of pro-abortion access protesters chanting lines like “Democrats we call your bluff, voting blue is not enough” and backlash on the far-left over fundingraising emails and texts sent by the Democratic National Committee asking for “rush” donations to support candidates who would fight back against abortion opponents.
“If you are a lawmaker who, in the time between the leak & ruling, spent more manpower on a fundraising plan than a policy response, then I highly recommend rethinking your priorities. Our job right now is to protect people. Doing so will drive the vote more than browbeating,” New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote, retweeting a video of young female voters who said they were frustrated that Democrats had not acted to codify Roe into law years ago — with Democrats in turn saying they have been stymied by the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
‘Unprecedented moment’
Biden has said repeatedly that only Congress can pass a law to fully reestablish the right to an abortion nationwide and that he is looking for steps he can take within the bounds of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal dollars being spent on abortion care except to save the life of the mother or in an instance of rape or incest.
But without the current votes to pass a national abortion access law, Democrats in the House and the Senate have put forward a number of other policy proposals they think the president could still act on, even in light of Hyde, before the midterm elections.
Members of Congressional Black Caucus specifically called on the Biden administration to declare a public health emergency, arguing that that would free up federal dollars to perhaps support clinics in blue states expecting a surge of new patients from red states that have or will soon forbid abortion in all or most cases.
“In this unprecedented moment, we must act urgently as if lives depend on it because they do,” the group of lawmakers wrote in a Friday letter to the White House, citing the country’s high rates of maternal mortality compared to other developed nations, especially among Black women.
Washington Sen. Patty Murray, who chairs the Senate Committee on Health Education and Labor, expressed frustration over the weekend that the Biden team was not ready with a plan for executive actions the day the decision came down, especially after a draft of the opinion was leaked more than a month ago.
In a letter to the White House in early June, Murray and others urged the administration to start looking at ways to protect patients’ personal health and location data as well as look into whether reproductive health services could be provided on federal lands or on federal property.
“I want President Biden to do absolutely everything in his power to protect access to abortion in America—let’s really push the envelope to protect women in this country, and let’s do it now,” Murray told ABC News in a written statement Monday night, adding that she understood that there were limits to his authority.
Leaders and activists pushing this idea about using federal land have argued that Hyde was designed to prevent the use of federal funds for paying for abortion services — most commonly to prevent women on government-run health insurance from being able to get abortion care paid for or reimbursed by the government. But they say that in leasing space, the government would be making and not spending money.
‘I think they were ready’
Other abortion access supporters took a different view on how the White House has responded, though they agreed that they wanted Biden to do more.
“I think they were ready for moment,” said Mini Timmaraju, the president of NARAL. “I think their reaction — although it came a little earlier than we all planned — was robust.”
Timmaraju said she was “pleased” with Biden’s remarks and “heartened” by his and Vice President Kamala Harris’ work so far, but she said that “I definitely think we need to see more specifics” about what the White House has announced so far such as access to medication for abortions and protecting women who travel to other states for care.
She added that she was “empathetic to the situation that they’re in” since it was “hard to have more specifics when we were waiting to see the parameters of what the court was going to decide.”
Asked about the use of federal lands on Monday, Harris told CNN, “It’s not right now what we are discussing.” A White House official told ABC: “While this proposal is well-intentioned, it could put women and providers at risk.”
Others have wondered if, within the bounds of Hyde’s restriction, federal funds could be used to help women with abortion-related expenses, like traveling out of state, or to offer abortion services to victims of rape in states, like Arkansas, where new bans do not have such exceptions.
Responding to some of these calls to action, a White House official told ABC News in a written statement, “We are going to continue to look at everything we can do, consistent with Hyde, to protect a woman’s right to choose but Hyde generally prohibits funding abortion except in cases of rape, incest, and threats to the life of the mother. Unfortunately, there are not enough votes in Congress to repeal it, just like there are not enough currently to restore Roe. This also makes the case for why we want more members of Congress who share our view on the urgency of this.”
Talking with ABC News’ Martha Raddatz on “This Week,” Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren doubled down on the idea of using federal lands to make abortion care as available as possible. Warren, like Ocasio-Cortez and other Democratic lawmakers, also asked the president to lay out plans to make medication abortion available across state lines.
Biden said Friday that he was directing the Department of Health and Human Services to try to “take steps to ensure” that contraception and medications like mifepristone, which can end an early pregnancy, are as widely available as possible.
Other reproductive health care advocates have argued the White House could and should help provide more information at a minimum, with state laws changing rapidly and creating so much confusion for patients.
Timmaraju, the NARAL president, said the White House Gender Policy Council and the vice president’s office have held “a ton” of listening sessions and roundtables and have been talking to providers and lawyers about what’s possible.
Both Timmaraju and another reproductive rights advocate called on Biden to declare a national public health emergency like the government did for COVID-19.
The advocate, who requested anonymity to speak candidly, said Biden should speak out more.
“We appreciate that the Biden administration obviously came out very quickly to take a stand, but they can and they should do more,” this person said. “The No. 1 priority must be to reduce harm, and they’ve got to use the bully pulpit as much and as often as they can to raise awareness.”
While the federal government launched ReproductiveRights.gov, Timmaraju and the other advocate said they wanted the White House to take further action to ensure more access to information.
“There is so much uncertainty and unknown” about the abortion pill, for example, the advocate said. “That is information that the Biden administration can and should put on that website.”
“How can anyone be satisfied with the speed when a right was taken away and it immediately prevented people from accessing health care in their states?” the advocate said.
(MENDON, Mo.) — Three people are dead and dozens are injured after an Amtrak train derailed after hitting a dump truck that was in an uncontrolled public crossing in Mendon, Missouri, according to Amtrak and officials.
Eight passenger cars and two locomotives, which is where the engines are, derailed at about 12:42 p.m. local time, Amtrak said.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Cpl. Justin Dunn said two of the train passengers were killed, along with someone who was in the dump truck.
Eric McKenzie, the superintendent with Chariton County Ambulance Service, told ABC News at least 50 people were injured.
The train was en route from Los Angeles to Chicago with 243 passengers and 12 crew members on board at the time of the crash, Amtrak said. All the train occupants from the scene were evacuated, according to Dunn.
At least 13 victims have been hospitalized. Officials at Hendrick Medical Center accepted four patients from the scene, while officials at MU Health Care University Hospital/Columbia said its facility is treating nine patients as of 5:57 p.m. ET.
Passenger Rob Nightingale, 58, told ABC News Live his car tipped to the side and he climbed through a window to escape. He said he saw a little girl crying and her family trying to comfort her.
Nightingale said he saw some people covered in blood.
Missouri Public Safety officials, highway patrol troopers and other personnel are responding, Gov. Mike Parson tweeted.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it is launching a 14-member go-team to investigate the crash. The team is scheduled to arrive Tuesday.
Mendon is about 100 miles northeast of Kansas City, Missouri.
This comes one day after an Amtrak train collided with a car in California, killing three people.
(ZEELAND, Netherlands) — A tornado tore through the Netherlands’ western province of Zeeland, killing one and wounding nine on Monday, according to regional emergency services.
A 73-year-old woman died, one person was taken to the hospital and eight others treated for injuries on site by ambulance personnel following the storm, which started in the center of the city of Zierikzee, authorities reported.
“This afternoon Zierikzee was unexpectedly hit by a very strong gust of wind. Unfortunately, someone died and several people were slightly injured. There is also extensive damage to homes and trees. Also, on behalf of the municipal council, my condolences go out in the first place to everyone affected by this,” Mayor Jack van der Hoek said in a statement.
Officials are in the process of inspecting the affected homes in the area, including a safety assessment for returning residents, regional authorities reported.
As of 4:46 p.m. on Monday, there were still a number of streets that had not been secured by officials, and authorities said the affected area is only available to residents due to safety concerns.
According to Telegraaf Netherlands, 10 to 20 rental homes in the area have been severely damaged and are temporarily uninhabitable.
Officials are working to provide housing accommodations for those who cannot yet return to their homes due to damage, officials said.
Douwe Ouwerkerk was at home for lunch when the storm ramped up.
“It felt like the room was being vacuumed, which was quite a strong sensation,” he told Telegraaf Netherlands.
Ouwerkerk added that he could see roof tiles, a garden pool and “something that looked like a tent” flying around outside of his home.
Zierikzee is home to about 10,000 people and is located about 87 miles southwest of Amsterdam.
According to the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), tornadoes are a rare occurrence for the country.
The last time someone died from a tornado in the Netherlands was in 1992.
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — Dr. Janet Cathey, the lead physician at the Planned Parenthood in Little Rock, Arkansas, said her team spent weeks prepping for the end of legal abortions in her state in anticipation of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, but she still couldn’t quite wrap her head around how quickly it all ended with the ruling Friday morning.
“I just thought we’d have Friday and Saturday,” she told ABC News’ “Start Here” podcast. “I was just banking [on it]. I told patients, ‘you’ve got to get in here. If you get in here this week, I think we’ll be OK.'”
Arkansas was one of the first states to trigger its “trigger law,” which outlawed the vast majority of abortions in the state, just hours after the court made its decision on June 24.
The Little Rock Planned Parenthood scheduled its first appointment that day at 10 a.m., but within minutes patients were being told their appointments were canceled.
Despite all the news about Roe being potentially overturned, many of the patients weren’t looped into the news enough to know this possibility was even on the radar, according to Cathey.
“We had patients that we called that said, ‘No, I’m almost there. I’m in my car,'” she said. “Most of them are just young people that are just trying to go to school, and live their lives, and take care of their kids.”
Cathey said she fears that women who are seeking abortions will have to struggle more and live with long-lasting repercussions as the number of legal clinics and facilities are shut down throughout the South.
Anyone who performs or attempts to perform an abortion can be charged with a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, under the Arkansas Human Life Protection Act. The law provides an exception for when the patient’s life is in danger but does not provide exceptions for rape or incest.
Cathey, who took ABC News on a tour of her facility’s empty rooms Sunday, said that she saw more patients come out of neighboring states that enacted strict abortion bans in the lead-up to the Supreme Court case. Now, those patients will have to travel farther, and in some cases take a plane to seek a safe, legal abortion.
“Imagine a teenager trying to navigate this system,” she said. “The laws are very confusing. The news is very confusing. I think a lot of women are not going to know where they can go,”
Cathey added that many patients expressed concerns that they might be arrested or prosecuted for crossing state lines to get an abortion.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, who put the law into effect on Friday, told ABC News’ “Start Here” that her message to patients looking to seek legal abortion in her state is, “if they’re not ready to be a mom then to be responsible.”
She acknowledged that victims of sexual assault don’t choose to become pregnant, but defended penalties for administering an abortion for those women, contending “we hurt for those women” but “those children and those individuals had the opportunity to live and for the women to punish an innocent life because some cruel evil person hurt her and harmed her…two wrongs don’t make a right, as they say.”
Rutledge said that she would focus on providing more resources to support the adoption of those babies, but didn’t give specifics. Cathey and abortion rights proponents have criticized what they see as a lack of a safety net for those forced to carry a baby to term.
Rutledge said that she would focus on providing more resources to support the adoption of those babies, but didn’t give specifics.
The attorney general declined to discuss the possibility of criminalizing Arkansas residents who travel out of state to get an abortion, claiming “that’s a conversation that we will be having at statehouses across the country.”
Sitting in an empty examination room that will no longer be used for abortion services, Cathey blinked back tears, describing patients who suddenly don’t know if their next move will break a law.
“It’s any range of emotions. Some of them were patients who were mad and there were patients who cried,” she said.
“That there’s going to be a fear. It’s going to be a public health issue,” Cathy added.
This report was featured in the Monday, June 27, 2022, episode of “Start Here,” ABC News’ daily news podcast.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States is working to finalize the purchase of an advanced air defense system bound for Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at the G-7 summit in Germany Monday.
Developed in Norway, the NASAMS is an anti-aircraft medium-to-long-range surface-to-air missile that can reportedly strike targets 100 miles away.
Sullivan confirmed to reporters that the U.S. is finalizing the purchase but has yet to sign a contract making the purchase official.
It is unclear how much the anti-aircraft system costs.
Biden told his global counterparts at the G-7 and Ukraine’s President Zelensky about U.S. intentions, Sullivan said.
The impending purchase of the NASAMS system is part of a package that will also include artillery ammunition and counter-battery radars, according to Sullivan. The Ukrainian military made specific requests for the ammunition and radars, he said.
The NASAMS system is reported to protect restricted airspace around the White House.
Monday’s announcement from the G-7 summit comes four days after the White House announced it is sending $450 million in aid to Ukraine. HIMARS missile systems are part of that package.
Hours after the announcement, initial counts are that 10 died and more than 40 were wounded following a Monday missile strike in Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s Poltava region.
Residents say the strike hit a shopping mall, setting it ablaze.
The administration and President Zelensky hope the NASAMS system and other recent aid from the U.S. will better equip Ukraine to continue its pushback against Russia in the war, which recently entered its fifth month.
Some G-7 members also announced Sunday they will further tighten their grip on Russia by banning the imports of Russian gold.
The United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Japan joined together to ban Russia’s second-largest import but fellow G-7 members Germany, France, and Italy held out.
The move codifies a ban that many refiners, shippers, and banks already voluntarily implemented themselves, and it highlights how even some of the world’s global powers — those geographically closest to the Russia-Ukrainian conflict — disagree with how to approach the matter.
The U.S. Treasury will release an official notice of the ban as it concerns U.S.-based businesses Tuesday.
President Zelenskyy met virtually with G-7 leaders Monday as the group moves closer to reaching an agreement that will cap the price of Russian oil, further starving Russia of funds to fuel its war.
ABC News’ Fidel Pavlenko contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” into neighboring Ukraine began on Feb. 24, with Russian forces invading from Belarus, to the north, and Russia, to the east. Ukrainian troops have offered “stiff resistance,” according to U.S. officials.
The Russian military has since launched a full-scale ground offensive in eastern Ukraine’s disputed Donbas region, capturing the strategic port city of Mariupol and securing a coastal corridor to the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Jun 27, 4:58 pm
13 dead in mall strike
At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 were hurt when a shopping mall was hit by missile strikes in the city of Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, according to the governor of the Poltava Oblast, Dmytro Lunin.
Over 1,000 civilians were there at the time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Authorities have deployed forensic experts from Kyiv and war crimes investigators, National Police Chief Ihor Klymenko said.
Jun 27, 3:46 pm
Lysychansk hit by rocket artillery, 8 dead
Russians fired multiple rocket launchers on the city of Lysychansk in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, striking civilians who were collecting drinking water, according to Luhansk region governor Serhiy Haidai.
Eight have been killed and more than 20 are injured, Haidai said.
Jun 27, 2:41 pm
11 dead in mall strike
At least 11 people were killed and over 40 were hurt when a shopping mall was hit by missile strikes in the city of Kremenchuk in Ukraine’s central Poltava region, according to Ukraine Emergency Services.
Jun 27, 11:55 am
3 killed in Kharkiv shelling
Three people were killed and at least 15 were wounded in shelling in Kharkiv, according to Natalia Popova, adviser to the head of the Kharkiv Regional Council.
A Russian controlled oil drilling platform in the Black Sea was targeted by Ukrainian shelling on Sunday, the second attack in a week, Russia’s state-run media outlet TASS reported.
A spokesperson for Crimea’s emergency services reported that no one was injured in the attack on the platform operated by the Chernomorneftegaz oil and gas company.
Russia-backed officials seized Chernomorneftegaz’s oil-drilling platforms from Ukraine’s national gas operator Naftogaz as part of Moscow’s annexation of the Crimea peninsula in 2014, according to Reuters.
This is the second attack in a week on the same Chernomorneftegaz oil-drilling platform.
On June 20, Ukrainian forces shelled the platform in the Black Sea, injuring three of the 109 people on the drilling rig at the time, according to Crimea officials. Seven people remain missing, the officials said.
More than 90 people were evacuated from the platform after the previous attack and 15 people had stayed behind to guard operations, Sergey Aksyonov, the governor of Russian-controlled Crimea.
Jun 26, 2:43 pm
250 civilians evacuated from Severodonetsk chemical plant
About 250 Ukrainian civilians have been evacuated from a chemical plant where they sought shelter in the besieged city of Severodonetsk in Eastern Ukraine, an official said.
Rodion Miroshnik, the Luhansk People’s Republic ambassador to Russia, said the civilians were evacuated safely from the Azot chemical plant in Severodonetsk.
“Servicemen of the LPR People’s Militia evacuated another about 250 people, including little children, from the premises of the Severodonetsk Azot plant,” Miroshnik said on social media Sunday.
He added that the evacuation came a day after about 200 civilians were evacuated from the chemical plant.
Following months of heavy fighting, Russian troops took complete control of the Severodonetski over the weekend, according to Oleksandr Striuk, chief of the city’s military administration.
Jun 26, 2:35 pm
1 killed, 6 injured in missile strike on Kyiv
One person was killed and six were injured, including a child, following a Russian missile strike Sunday in Ukraine’s capital city, officials said.
The Russian shelling of Kyiv struck a residential building in the city, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
Klitschko said at least six people were injured in the attack, including a 7-year-old girl. He said the girl was undergoing surgery Sunday for non-life-threatening injuries.
Klitschko said the girl’s mother was also injured in the attack.
A missile strike occurred in the Shevchenkivskyi neighborhood, near central Kyiv, officials said.
Jun 26, 7:11 am
More of Russia’s ‘barbarism,’ Biden says of Kyiv strike
President Joe Biden on Sunday said Russia’s early morning missile strikes on Kyiv were an act of “barbarism.”
As Biden stood alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the official G7 welcome ceremony, ABC News’ Karen Travers asked if he had any reaction to the strikes on a residential neighborhood.
“Yes, it’s more of their barbarism,” Biden said.
A missile struck an apartment block in Shevchenkivskyi, near central Kyiv, on Sunday morning, killing at least one and trapping others in the rubble, local officials said.
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Jun 26, 5:03 am
US to ban Russian gold imports
The Biden administration and other G7 leaders will announce on Sunday an import ban on Russian gold.
“This is a key export, a key source of revenue alternative for Russia, in terms of their ability to transact in the global financial system,” a senior administration official told reporters on a briefing call about the G7 summit in Germany. “Taking this step cuts off that capacity and again, is an ongoing illustration of the types of steps that the G7 can take collectively to continue to isolate Russia and cut it off from the global economy.”
The Treasury Department is expected to issue an official notice on Tuesday.
Gold is Russia’s second largest export after oil and a source of significant revenue, but much of Russia’s gold exportation has already been cut off in practice by banks, refiners and shippers. The move on Sunday marks an official severance of Russia from the world’s gold market.
The U.S. and U.K. are participating in Sunday’s announcement, but it is unclear whether all G7 countries will participate in the initiative. A Biden administration official tried to downplay concerns about potential disunity among G7 member states, pivoting instead to a talking point about efforts to cut off all financial pathways for Russia.
Pressed on whether Russia could continue to export gold by going through a country that does not participate in the ban, officials insisted the ban will be effective.
“We will continue to identify places where evasion as a risk continue to take steps to block off those pads,” an official said. “And the measuring gold in some ways is in fact, another step forward to block off ways that that Russia might seek to engage with the financial system, by virtue of all the other ways that have now been cut off to them.”
-ABC News’ Sarah Kolinovsky
Jun 26, 3:30 am
Russian strike traps Kyiv woman in rubble
Emergency responders in Kyiv are working to free a woman from the top floor of a residential building that was hit by a Russian strike on Sunday morning.
An advisor to the minister of the interior told ABC News that the woman, who is in her 30s, is alive and trapped in the rubble.
At least one civilian was killed in Sunday’s strike, local officials said. At least one other, a young girl, was rescued from the building in Shevchenkivskyi, a central district a few moments from the historic center of the city.
-ABC News’ Tom Soufi Burridge
Jun 26, 2:55 am
Missiles strike central Kyiv residential neighborhood
A series of Russian missiles struck a residential area of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday morning, local officials said.
“Friends! Search and rescue operations are underway in a residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district where a missile hit,” Mayo Vitaliy Klychko said on Telegram. “There are people under the rubble. Some residents were evacuated, two victims were hospitalized. Rescuers continue to work, medics are on site.”
At least one residential building appeared to have had sections of its facade sheared off, photos from the scene showed. Emergency responders could be seen working on the upper floors of the building as smoke rose into the morning sky.
“Several explosions in the Shevchenkivskyi district,” Klychko said. “Ambulance crews and rescuers on the spot. Residents are being rescued and evacuated in two houses.”
At least one missile was shot down by Ukrainian air defenses, Oleksiy Kuleba, head of the Kyiv regional administration, said on Telegram.
“The remains of the missile fell on the outskirts of one of the villages in the area,” Kuleba said.
-ABC News’ Natalia Kushnir
Jun 24, 9:01 am
Ukrainian forces to retreat from Severodonetsk
Ukrainian forces plan to retreat from the city of Severodonetsk, following weeks of fighting.
The local governor said Friday morning “it doesn’t make sense” to hold onto the city and “the number of people killed will increase every day,” in a statement on Telegram.
The city has faced a heavy bombardment of rockets and street-to-street fighting between Ukrainian and Russia troops for weeks.
Ukrainian officials said nearly 90% of buildings in Severodonetsk have been destroyed.
It’s believed 8,000 civilians remain. At one point, hundreds of civilians sheltered in a chemical plant.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Jun 23, 2:58 pm
Ukraine granted candidate status for EU membership
The European Council has granted Ukraine and Moldova candidate status for EU membership, European Council President Charles Michel tweeted.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the announcement on Twitter, calling it a “unique and historical moment,” adding, “Ukraine’s future is within the EU.”
It could take years for Ukraine to become an EU member. Five other countries that have been granted candidate status are currently negotiating their EU membership: Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey.
(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in a much-anticipated ruling Friday in one of its biggest decisions this term.
The court voted 5-4, largely along party lines, to overturn Roe and 6-3, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which involved Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
It appeared that the panel’s conservative majority of justices was ready to overturn nearly 50 years of established abortion rights after last month’s leaked draft decision indicated as much.
Jun 27, 4:57 pm
Pelosi outlines Democrats’ next steps in abortion fight
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter Monday to House Democrats outlining possible next steps to expand abortion access after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.
“While this extremist Supreme Court works to punish and control the American people, Democrats must continue our fight to expand freedom in America. Doing so is foundational to our oath of office and our fidelity to the Constitution,” she wrote.
Pelosi said possible next steps include protecting women’s personal data in reproductive apps so it can’t be used against them in a state that criminalizes abortion as well as making it clear Americans have the right to travel freely throughout the U.S. in response to states attempting to criminalize those who travel out-of-state for an abortion.
She added that she will work to pass legislation that codifies a woman’s right to an abortion, which was passed by the House in September 2021 but blocked in the Senate.
Pelosi added legislation will also be introduced to “further codify” marriage equality and women’s access to contraception and IVF, after Justice Clarance Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion the court should reexamine rulings on these topics.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Jun 27, 4:33 pm
Abortion rights groups file suit against Kentucky trigger ban
Abortion rights groups filed a lawsuit Monday to prevent Kentucky’s trigger ban from going into effect after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last week.
Under the law, anybody who performs or attempts to perform an abortion will be charged with a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison. The only exception is if the mother’s health is at risk.
The groups that filed the suit — American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Kentucky, and Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiʻi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky — argue the ban goes against the Kentucky Constitution, which protects the right to privacy and bodily autonomy.
In the lawsuit, the groups are also seeking to block a six-week abortion ban that was previously blocked by a federal court.
-ABC News’ Andrea Amiel
Jun 27, 1:36 pm
State court blocks Louisiana’s trigger ban
A state court blocked Louisiana’s trigger law banning abortion from going into effect on Monday after a petition was filed earlier in the day by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.
The petition was filed on behalf Hope Medical Group for Women — a clinic located in Shreveport — arguing that the trigger ban was “vague” and didn’t explicitly state when a provider could interfere to save a woman’s life.
Abortion care will resume in the state and a hearing has been set for July 8.
-ABC News’ Ely Brown
Jun 27, 12:52 pm
Abortion providers challenge Louisiana’s trigger law
Abortion providers have teamed up with a law firm to challenge Louisiana’s trigger ban following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
The Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP filed a petition Monday on behalf of Hope Medical Group for Women — a clinic located in Shreveport — its administrator Kathaleen Pittman and Medical Students for Choice requesting emergency relief from the ban.
The ban does not allow abortions in most instances except if the mother’s life is at risk. However, the doctor must make an effort to save the life of both the other and the fetus before performing an abortion.
The plaintiffs argue Louisiana’s trigger laws are “vague” and that it’s impossible to tell what constitutes as the mother’s life being at risk.
“Seeking reproductive care is already difficult in the U.S., especially in Louisiana,” said Pittman in a statement.
She continued, “We are committed to this monumental legal challenge — not to perpetuate an endless political battle, but to ensure our patients’ wellbeing and so that they may draw strength from our dedication to this fight.”
Jun 25, 4:54 pm
Abortion illegal in 8 states
Abortion has become illegal in eight states, home to more than 31 million Americans, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which had guaranteed the medical procedure as a constitutional right.
Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah had trigger laws that went into effect following the ruling.
Providers have stopped performing abortions in Arizona, Wisconsin and West Virginia while legal analysis is pending. Abortions are not being performed in a total of at least 11 states.
All state abortion bans currently in effect provide an exception when the life of the mother is at risk.
Only Utah allows exceptions for cases of rape, incest or a lethal fetal deformity.
Jun 25, 1:01 pm
White House warns of ‘nightmare scenarios’ after Roe repeal
The White House on Saturday continued to criticize the overturning of Roe v. Wade, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters the Supreme Court’s ruling is “out of step” with what a majority of Americans want.
“We are going to see some nightmare scenarios, sadly, because of this decision,” Jean-Pierre said on Air Force One on the way to the G7 summit in Germany.
Jean-Pierre touted the steps announced by the administration yesterday to protect access to federally approved medication like contraception and medication abortion and to ensure women can travel across state lines for reproductive health care.
But it’s ultimately up to Congress to fully restore Roe, she said.
“If that can’t happen, the American public has to use their voice,” Jean-Pierre said. “In light of this decision, they have to use their voice at the ballot box.”
Not on the table, she said, is court expansion: “That is something that the President does not agree with.”
Jun 25, 9:50 am
Advocacy group calls on DOD to support servicewomen, families as abortion bans begin to take effect
Advocacy group “Not in My Marine Corps,” started by former marine and Department of Defense civil servant Erin Kirk Cuomo, called on leaders to support servicewomen and families in areas where abortion bans have begun to take effect. The group has worked to raise awareness around sexual assault in the military.
The group is calling on leaders in the department and Virginia to:
Push for “compassionate reassignment” policies to let active duty women (and families) currently stationed in states with trigger laws appeal for reassignment
Guarantee service members in need of abortion will be able to cross state lines
Put an end to the Hyde Amendment so military bases can provide more abortion care.
“It’ll be interesting to see what DoD comes out within the next several days. We’ve known that this is going to be happening for months now. So they should have they should have been working on these policies,” Cuomo added.
Because of the Hyde Amendment, the department’s military medical program doesn’t regularly perform abortions, so service members would rely on providers in the state.
Earlier this month, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, introduced legislation that did not call for a full repeal of Hyde, but for a more tailored change in policy to allow military doctors on military bases provide abortion access for service members. There is a companion bill in the House.
“While states like New York will remain a safe haven for reproductive freedom, the reproductive rights of women serving at Fort Hood in Texas or other conservative states could be in jeopardy,” Gillibrand wrote, introducing the bill.
Jun 25, 9:27 am
Biden says administration will examine implementation of state abortion laws
President Joe Biden commented on states implementing abortion bans, vowing to act, the morning after the Supreme Court overturned federal abortion rights.
“The decision is implemented by states. My administration is going to focus on how they administer it, and whether or not they violate other laws, like deciding who is not allowed across state lines to get public health services. And we’re gonna take actions to protect women’s rights and reproductive health,” Biden vowed.
Asked if he thought the court is broken, Biden said, “I think the Supreme Court has made some terrible decisions.”
Jun 25, 8:51 am
Blinken vows to ensure reproductive care access to State Department employees
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the State Department will do everything in its power to ensure its employees have access to reproductive health services no matter where they live, vowing not to waver from this commitment.
Adding, “Under this Administration, the State Department will remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world,” Blinken said in a statement.
Jun 25, 12:19 am
Truck runs over woman’s foot
A man in a truck hit two women Friday during a pro-abortion protest outside the U.S. District Court Federal Court House in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and injured one.
Video on social media showed a man in a truck striking protestors, ripping signs as he drove and then hit two women who were crossing the street and ran over the feet of one woman.
There have been nationwide protests in the fallout of the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to an abortion.
The Cedar Rapids police department is conducting an investigation.
Jun 24, 9:10 pm
US Marshals declare federal judges, government officials ‘most at risk’
The U.S. Marshals Service told ABC News that federal judges and state government officials are “most at risk” following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“In light of the increased security concerns stemming from the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe V. Wade, the U.S. Marshals Service continues to assist the Marshal of the Supreme Court with the responsibility of protecting the United State Supreme Court and its facilities,” the statement read.
“While we do not comment on specific security measures, we continuously review the security measures in place and take appropriate steps to provide additional protection when it is warranted.”
Congress recently passed legislation that would increase security for the Supreme Court justices and their families.
Jun 24, 8:13 pm
Protesters gather nationwide
People in support of abortion rights gathered Friday after the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed a constitutional right for an abortion.
Protests occurred Friday at Federal Plaza in Chicago, Philadelphia’s City Hall, Washington Square Park in New York and downtown Boston. More rallies were being planned for Saturday in response to the ruling.
About two dozen protesters also gathered outside the private community residence where Justice Clarence Thomas lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with some carrying signs that read “you will never control my body.”
Jun 24, 7:07 pm
Planned Parenthood doctor describes moments after ruling
Dr. Colleen McNicholas, the chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis region, oversees a clinic in Missouri, which has been immediately shut down by a trigger law, and a clinic in Illinois, which will stay open for the foreseeable future.
Already, she has seen the impacts of a clinic that gets shut down — and the massive demand for one that’s still open.
“Within minutes of the decision, our attorney general invoked that trigger ban, and we had to stop providing abortion care,” she said of the Missouri clinic.
And in Illinois, she said, “Within minutes, again, we were receiving calls from clinics and other trigger-banned states to say, ‘I have patients on the schedule tomorrow. How many can you accommodate in the coming days?'”
Jun 24, 6:55 pm
Sports figures speak out against ruling
Soccer star Megan Rapinoe took several minutes during a media appearance ahead of Saturday’s match between the U.S. and Colombia to talk about the Supreme Court ruling on Friday.
“Obviously you can understand from an individual perspective how difficult it is to live in a country where you have a constant, unrelenting, violent tide against you and onslaught as a woman,” she said. “And it would be as a gay person and as a non-binary person, as a trans person — whoever this is going to affect, because it affects a lot more than just women or cis-women. It really does affect us all.”
She went on to say the ruling will “disproportionately affect poor women, Black women, brown women, immigrants, women in abusive relationships, women who have been raped, women and girls who have been raped by family members,” as well as those who “maybe just didn’t make the best choice.”
Rapinoe additionally called on men to speak up about the ruling, saying that is “what, frankly, doing the right thing looks like.”
Meanwhile, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert spoke out in support of abortion rights.
“The NBA and WNBA believe that women should be able to make their own decisions concerning their health and future, and we believe that freedom should be protected,” they said in a joint statement. “We will continue to advocate for gender and health equity, including ensuring our employees have access to reproductive health care, regardless of their location.”
Jun 24, 6:03 pm
US surgeon general says ‘health of women and pregnant people is put at risk’
“Today’s decision is a major step backward for public health,” U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in a statement Friday. “Reproductive health decisions – like all health decisions – should be made by patients and their health care providers.”
Murthy said that with restricted access to reproductive health care, there will be more unplanned pregnancies and unsafe abortions.
“Ultimately, the health of women and pregnant people is put at risk – an effect that will be felt disproportionately in historically marginalized populations, including communities of color, low-income Americans, and rural residents,” he continued.
Murthy said health care providers will be further strained in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and “forced into an impossible choice between doing what’s right for their patients and complying with laws that are at odds with their patient’s health interests.”
The surgeon general said he will continue to support “women’s right to make their own decisions about their health.”
Jun 24, 5:04 pm
House Democrats look for abortion ruling to galvanize support in midterms
Following Friday’s Supreme Court decision, Democratic lawmakers have their eyes set on November, hoping the issue of abortion will galvanize widespread support.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y., said reproductive rights will be on the ballot in November, but also acknowledged Democrats are going to have to focus on issues like the economy to win support.
“It’s not an either-or. We should be talking about the economy. We should be talking about our plan to lower costs for families,” Maloney said. “We have a plan, but [Republican] priority is going to be to ban abortion in all 50 states and and that’s the choice voters going to get to make.”
Maloney also said Republicans are fixated on banning abortion nationwide, and come election season, they will have to answer to voters.
“Every Republican should answer whether they will criminalize abortion in all 50 states because the Supreme Court said the Constitution doesn’t stand in their way. And we know that that is their priority. And those are the wrong priorities,” he added.
Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who is currently in a hotly contested Senate battle against JD Vance, said he didn’t know if abortion would be a top issue for voters but said the Supreme Court decision could galvanize a movement.
“Largest governmental overreach in the history of our lifetime right here,” Ryan said. “And I think Americans are gonna wholly reject that. And while it may not be the top issue, it will be for a lot. And I think it will be a secondary issue for a lot of other people.”
Jun 24, 4:08 pm
Kamala Harris condemns court, says ‘this is not over’
Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling it the first time in history that a constitutional right was taken away from Americans. Harris said the decision takes away the right to privacy.
“For nearly 50 years we have talked about what Roe v. Wade protects. Today, as of right now, as of this minute, we can only talk about what Roe v. Wade protected. Past tense. This is a health care crisis,” Harris said while delivering remarks in Plainfield, Illinois.
Harris said the expansion of freedom is not inevitable, encouraging Americans to vote in this year’s midterm elections, saying “this is not over.”
“Millions of women in America will go to bed tonight without access to the health care and reproductive care that they had this morning — without access to the same health care or reproductive health care that their mothers and grandmothers had for 50 years,” Harris said.
Jun 24, 3:44 pm
White House holds call to rally advocates after ruling
Senior White House officials held a Zoom meeting Friday afternoon seeking to rally abortion rights organizers, advocates and other leaders regarding what one official called the Supreme Court’s “devastating” decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
While the officials didn’t announce anything new in terms of actions the Biden administration may take, they pledged to work with the advocates to ensure women’s reproductive rights across the country.
“Although we’re here on a devastating day, I think, you know, I think we will all meet the moment,” Emmy Ruiz, the White House’s director of political strategy and outreach, said.
The officials drew attention to Attorney General Merrick Garland vowing to protect women’s ability to travel to other states for reproductive health care and to President Joe Biden directing the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure access to abortion medications.
“We are in this together,” White House counsel Dana Remus said. “We have a long road ahead. Lots of work to do, but I am optimistic that together we can make progress.”
Jun 24, 3:03 pm
Leading health care providers expect ripple effects from SCOTUS decision
Leading health care providers in reproductive and women’s health condemned the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, warning that it affects patient safety and infringes on patient privacy.
The American Society for Training and Development released a statement that the decision “removes an essential civil liberty.”
“Decisions about healthcare, particularly reproductive healthcare, should be made by patients and physicians, not by interest groups, religious organizations, politicians, pundits, or Supreme Court Justices,” said Dr. Marcelle Cedars, the president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, a leader in reproductive medicine research.
The American Academy of Family Physicians said that the decision endangers the patient-physician relationship and potentially “criminalizes evidence-based medical care.”
“Allowing each state to pass their own laws regarding access to reproductive health care, including abortion services and contraception, exacerbates inequities in the health care system,” said Dr. Sterling Ransone, the president of the AAFP.
Also, the nation’s largest union of nurses spoke out and called the policy “immoral, discriminatory, misogynist, violent [and] unacceptable,” according to the statement released by National Nurses United.
The American Academy of Pediatrics said the consequences of the decision are “grave” for adolescent patients.
In addition, the largest medical speciality organization in the United States, the American College of Physicians, called the decision a “major setback” that erodes “the constitutional right to privacy.”
“We strongly oppose medically unnecessary government restrictions on any health care services,” said Dr. Ryan Mire, the president of ACP.
-Eric M. Strauss
Jun 24, 2:44 pm
West Virginia’s only abortion clinic says it’s stopping procedures immediately
The only abortion clinic in West Virginia announced it is no longer performing abortions as of Friday after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.
In a statement on Facebook, the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia said it is not performing the procedure anymore due to “criminal code from 1882 that criminalizes abortion for both the provider and patient with a felony prison sentence up [to] 10 years.”
Abortion is still legal in West Virginia but a state constitutional amendment bars the protection of the right to an abortion. It’s unclear if the 1882 law immediately goes into effect now that Roe has been overturned.
However, the clinic vowed that it “will not stop fighting for the abortion rights of every West Virginian.”
It comes after Gov. Jim Justice praised the court’s decision and said he would call a special session if a consultation with the Legislature determined clarification in the state’s laws is needed.
Jun 24, 1:40 pm
McCarthy says Republicans to propose anti-abortion legislation if they retake the House
House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Republicans would put anti-abortion legislation on the House floor next year if they retake the chamber in this year’s midterm elections.
“We now have a voice for all life,” McCarthy said during a press conference with House Republicans Friday.
Asked what he would say to Attorney General Merrick Garland if he didn’t prosecute people who do not follow their state’s abortion laws, McCarthy said, “In less than 140 days things are gonna change here.”
“He will have now a Congress that will call him up. He will now have the ability of the Congress to have oversight. He will now have a Congress that will hold him accountable,” McCarthy said.
Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., also plans to introduce a 15-week abortion ban in the coming weeks.
Jun 24, 1:28 pm
Trump applauds Supreme Court decision
Former President Donald Trump applauded the Supreme Court’s ruling in a statement, calling it “the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation.”
Additionally, in an exclusive interview with Fox News, the former president praised “giving everything back to the states, where it has always belonged.”
“This is following the Constitution, and giving rights back when they should have been given long ago,” Trump told Fox News.
In response to any of his supporters who advocate for abortion rights, Trump told Fox News that “this is something that will work out for everybody.”
During his presidency, Trump appointed three conservative justices to the Supreme Court. He noted in his statement the ruling was “only made possible because I delivered everything as promised.”
When asked by Fox News whether he feels like he made a difference in the decision to overturn Roe, he said, “God made the decision.”
Jun 24, 1:25 pm
President Biden says court decision is ‘sad day’ for the US
President Joe Biden criticized the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade Friday.
“It’s a sad day for the court and the country. Today the Supreme Court of the United States expressly took away a constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized,” Biden said in delivered remarks from the White House.
He added, “They didn’t limit it, they simply took it away. That’s never been done to a right so important to so many Americans but they did it.”
-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler
Jun 24, 1:12 pm
Sen. Susan Collins says court decision is inconsistent with justices’ testimony
Republican Sen. Susan Collins condemned the court decision, saying Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch’s votes did not align with their testimony during their confirmation hearings.
“This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon,” Collins said.
Collins voted for Kavanaugh and Gorsuch to serve on the court, for which she faced criticism because of concerns about how their appointments might impact a women’s right to choose.
Collins is one of two GOP Senators who is on the records supporting efforts to codify a woman’s right to choose.
“The Supreme Court has abandoned a fifty-year precedent at a time that the country is desperate for stability. This ill-considered action will further divide the country at a moment when, more than ever in modern times, we need the Court to show both consistency and restraint,” Collins said.
Adding, “Throwing out a precedent overnight that the country has relied upon for half a century is not conservative. It is a sudden and radical jolt to the country that will lead to political chaos, anger, and a further loss of confidence in our government.”
Jun 24, 1:11 pm
Governors respond to SCOTUS decision
Democratic and Republican governors across the U.S. responded to the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, railed against the ruling but vowed that abortion access is still protected in the state.
“Today, the Supreme Court took away the right of millions of Americans to make decisions about their own bodies,” she said in a statement. “This decision is a grave injustice. I want everyone to know that abortion remains safe, accessible, and legal in New York.”
In neighboring New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy referred to the decision as “backwards” and “appalling.”
“In New Jersey, women will always have full autonomy over their own bodies and the right to make their own medical decisions,” he said in a statement.
Michigan Gov, Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, reflected those sentiments,
adding, “I want every Michigander to know that I am more determined than ever to protect access to safe, legal abortion. I’ll never stop fighting.”
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said the Supreme Court made the correct decision in overruling the 1973 decision.
“The Supreme Court correctly overturns Roe v. Wade & reinstates the right of states to protect innocent, unborn children,” he said in a statement. “Texas is a pro-life state. We will ALWAYS fight to save every child from the ravages of abortion.”
Similarly, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican, said in a statement, “The Supreme Court of the United States has rightfully returned power to the people and their elected representatives in the states. I’m proud to be a pro-life Governor and plan to take every action I can to protect life.”
Jun 24, 1:02 pm
Tensions run high outside Mississippi abortion clinic at center of court case after ruling
Clinic workers and anti-abortion rights activists shouted at each other and grew more angry outside the Mississippi abortion clinic at the center of the Supreme Court case.
One clinic worker was seen going inside because she was so emotional. The worker was in tears as she tried to hold up a sign that said they were open. Hand-drawn signs were brought out of the clinic because anti-abortion rights activists were turning women away, telling them abortions were now illegal in the state.
Women and couples stopped their cars at the intersection because they were confused as clinic workers hastily tried to tell them they were open, but likely not for long.
A pro-abortion protester outside the clinic told ABC News the decision means they are looking at suffering and death.
“We see what’s coming. We know exactly what’s going on here. Welcome to the vulture pit. Women without needs will suffer. We’ve been answering these for years but here we are. America’s not ready for what’s about to happen with the fall of Rome,” one unnamed protestor said.
An anti-abortion protester celebrated the decision, calling it “bittersweet.”
“Certainly we’re thankful that Roe has been overturned, but our hearts still break over the millions of unborn children … aborted in this country and it’s just gonna be a struggle going to states that still allow abortion and hopefully they’ll close this clinic down as quickly as possible and we’ll move on and help other places.”
-ABC News’ Cherise Rudy and Stephanie Ramos
Jun 24, 12:49 pm
Abortion provider says it’s deploying a fleet of mobile clinics along border states
Just The Pill, a nonprofit abortion group, announced a program called Abortion Delivered and vowed to deploy a fleet of mobile clinics to offer “mobile procedural abortions” along the border of states that impose restrictions.
“By operating on state borders, we will reduce travel burdens for patients in states with bans or severe limits,” said Dr. Julie Amaon, the medical director of Just The Pill and Abortion Delivered, in a statement.
Abortion law and restrictions vary by state. Some states have trigger laws in place that immediately ban abortion once the federal protection of Roe was overturned.
While state rules can differ, FDA regulations say women can be prescribed medical abortion pills by a certified provider at up to 10 weeks of pregnancy and take them at home.
“We are undaunted. We will bring care to the people who most need it, and we will defy reproductive repression by providing more affordable and accessible care,” said Amaon.
Jun 24, 12:46 pm
JPMorgan Chase to cover employee travel for abortion
JPMorgan Chase, one of the nation’s largest banks, has informed U.S. employees that it will cover the costs of travel for those seeking an abortion who cannot access the procedure legally in their home state, according to a memo sent to employees on June 1 and obtained by ABC News.
The company will begin covering the travel next month, according to a company web page that details the policy.
Several corporations in recent weeks, including Amazon and Starbucks, have announced expanded health benefits to pay for travel fees incurred by workers seeking an abortion if the procedure is unavailable near where they live.
Yelp, Tesla, Citigroup, Apple and Salesforce have also expanded abortion coverage in recent weeks for employees to include costs for travel when necessary.
The JPMorgan Chase memo was first reported by CNBC.
Jun 24, 12:39 pm
AG Merrick Garland says DOJ ‘strongly disagrees’ with ruling, will protect rights
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department of Justice “strong disagrees” with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Friday, and added his department “will work tirelessly to protect and advance reproductive freedom.”
He outlined several steps the department will take in furthering that goal, including protecting access to health care in states where abortion remains legal, supporting Congress’ efforts “to codify Americans’ reproductive rights” and work to protect access to mifepristone, the so-called abortion pill.
“The Supreme Court has eliminated an established right that has been an essential component of women’s liberty for half a century — a right that has safeguarded women’s ability to participate fully and equally in society,” Garland wrote in a statement.
Garland was nominated to the Supreme Court by former President Barack Obama in 2016 to fill the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat but never received a vote because Republicans refused to take it up.
-ABC News’ Alex Mallin
Jun 24, 12:18 pm
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists condemns ruling
Dr. Iffath A. Hoskins, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Supreme Court decision is “a direct blow to bodily autonomy, reproductive health, patient safety and health equity in the United States.”
“The restrictions put forth are not based on science nor medicine; they allow unrelated third parties to make decisions that rightfully and ethically should be made only by individuals and their physicians,” Hoskins said.
She said the decision will disproportionately impact people already facing barriers to health care and that laws will make people face possible risks of pregnancy, including “the morbidity and mortality associated with childbirth.”
“The principle of shared decision-making is founded on respect for peoples’ expertise in their own bodies and lives and clinicians’ expertise in science and medicine,” Hoskins said. “There is no room within the sanctuary of the patient-physician relationship for individual lawmakers who wish to impose their personal religious or ideological views on others.”
Jun 24, 12:16 pm
NAACP says SCOTUS decision will ‘disproportionately impact Black women and lower-income communities of color’
Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, leaders from racial justice groups are expressing outrage.
“Today’s Supreme Court decision marks a significant regression of our country. As a legal professional, I am astounded by this decision. As a Black woman, I am outraged,” said Janette McCarthy Wallace, general counsel for the NAACP, in part of a statement.
“There is no denying the fact that this is a direct attack on all women and Black women stand to be disproportionately impacted by the court’s egregious assault on basic human rights,” she said.
Portia White, the policy and legislative affairs vice president for the NAACP, encouraged Americans to “fight back” by voting.
“If you’re not registered to vote, or know someone who isn’t, now is the moment. This is no time for anyone to sit on the sidelines,” White wrote in part of a statement.
Jun 24, 12:04 pm
NARAL Pro-Choice America condemns court decision, calling it ‘worst-case scenario’
Mini Timmaraju, president of pro-abortion group NARAL, called the court’s decision “the worst-case scenario” and warned the anti-abortion movement and its political allies want to enact a nationwide ban on abortion.
“The impact on the real lives of real people will be devastating. The Supreme Court has given the green light to extremist state lawmakers who will waste no time springing into action to put in place total bans on abortion,” Timmaraju said in a statement.
“But it is not the end of this fight. The 8 in 10 Americans who support the legal right to abortion will not let this stand. There is an election in November, and extremist politicians will learn: when you come for our rights, we come for your seats,” Timmaraju said.
Jun 24, 12:04 pm
Capitol Police says demonstrators can protest near SCOTUS
Capitol Police said in a tweet Friday that demonstrators can protest near the Supreme Court but must listen to police instruction.
“Demonstrators are gathering on Capitol Grounds, near the U.S. Supreme Court.” the tweet read.
“Protesters are allowed to peacefully demonstrate, however they must follow the officer’s instructions so that everyone stays safe.”
Jun 24, 11:45 am
Mississippi’s only abortion clinic will be forced to close after court overturns Roe
Now that the Supreme Court has overruled Roe v. Wade, Mississippi’s only abortion clinic, the clinic at the center of the court decision, will be forced to close.
The court’s decision will uphold Mississippi’s ban on abortions after 15 weeks, but the clinic will be forced to close in coming weeks when Mississippi’s trigger law takes effect, banning abortions entirely.
Women in nearby states, especially in Texas, had traveled to Jackson seeking care, with 30 to 40% of patients being from out of state.
Shannon Brewer, director of that state’s only abortion clinic still open, told ABC News ahead of the ruling that she sees a potentially more dangerous time for women, especially lower-income, minority women, grappling with unwanted or unintended pregnancies.
“No law, no court decision will stop abortion in Mississipi or anywhere. A woman who is desperate enough will try anything,” she said.
The clinic performs about 2,500 abortions a year, only up to 16 weeks into pregnancy.
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer
Jun 24, 11:33 am
President Biden to speak at 12:30 p.m.
President Joe Biden will speak on the abortion ruling at 12:30 p.m., according to the White House.
Following the release of the draft opinion in May, Biden called abortion a “fundamental” right.
“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,” Biden said in a statement at the time.
Jun 24, 11:14 am
Planned Parenthood warns all ‘freedoms are on the line’
Planned Parenthood warned Friday that the Supreme Court overturning the right to abortion is just the beginning, warning there is a threat to Americans’ rights.
“Make no mistake – if they can take away the right to abortion, a right we’ve held for nearly 50 years, they won’t stop here: All of our freedoms are on the line,” Planned Parenthood said.
The group said the court’s decision to overturn abortion rights will impact women in marginalized communities.
“Due to centuries of racism and systemic discrimination, we already know who will feel the consequences of this horrific decision most acutely: Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, immigrants, and those having difficulties making ends meet,” Planned Parenthood said.
Jun 24, 11:13 am
Abortion rights groups blast ‘infuriating’ court decision
Abortion rights groups responded to the Supreme Court decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Today, the Supreme Court eviscerated the last shreds of our national right to abortion and blatantly turned its back on our dignity,” said Morgan Hopkins, interim executive director for campaigns and strategies at All* Above All, in a statement.
She added, “The ripple effects will be felt far and wide, in every state across the country. And to be clear — today’s decision is the result of a decades-long scheme to dismantle access to abortion care.”
Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, associate professor of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, said the decision “will fall hardest on women of color and low-income people, who already experience extreme health disparities under a racist health care system.”
Debasri Ghosh, the managing Director at the National Network of Abortion Funds, said the decision was expected but nonetheless “infuriating.”
“The harm of abortion restrictions will now fall even harder on Black, Indigenous and people of color, people already excluded from our health care by systemic racism and economic injustice,” she added.
Jun 24, 11:10 am
Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton react to decision
Former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton reacted to the Supreme Court decision, both condemning it.
Obama, in her statement, said repeatedly that she is “heartbroken,” including “for people around this country who just lost the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies.”
Clinton, who also served as secretary of state, said, “Today’s Supreme Court opinion will live in infamy as a step backward for women’s rights and human rights.”
“This horrifying decision will have devastating consequences,” Obama wrote in her full statement.
Jun 24, 11:02 am
March for Life says court decision is just the beginning of work to ‘protect life’
Anti-abortion group March for Life praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, overturning federal protections for abortion.
“Today, the ability to determine whether and when to limit abortion was returned to the American people who have every right to enact laws like Mississippi’s which protect mothers and unborn babies after 15 weeks,” March for Life said in a statement.
The group called Roe v. Wade an “unpopular and extreme” abortion policy that had been imposed on the U.S. Polling shows 58% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
“We are so grateful to the countless pro-life people of goodwill who contributed and sacrificed to make today possible – including the millions of those who have marched for life over the years – and we recognize that this is just the beginning of our work to advance policies that protect life. We will continue to march until abortion is unthinkable because equality begins in the womb,” March for Life said.
Jun 24, 10:55 am
Pelosi condemns Trump, Republicans in response
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned Republicans in response to the Supreme Court decision, saying in a statement, “Because of Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party and their supermajority on the Supreme Court, American women today have less freedom than their mothers.”
Pelosi further said there would be more restrictions on reproductive health care, claiming, “Republicans want to arrest doctors for offering reproductive care and women for terminating a pregnancy. GOP extremists are even threatening to criminalize contraception, as well as in-vitro fertilization and post-miscarriage care.”
She called the ruling “outrageous and heart-wrenching.”
Jun 24, 10:54 am
Schumer calls today ‘one of darkest days our country has ever seen’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement following the Dobbs decision, called Friday one of the “darkest days our country has ever seen” and directly blamed “MAGA Republicans” for the decision.
“These justices were intentionally appointed by Republicans to overturn Roe v. Wade and every Republican Senator knew this would happen if they voted to confirm these radical justices,” Schumer said in a statement. “These MAGA Republicans are all complicit in today’s decision and all of its consequences for women and families in this country.”
He pointed to the upcoming midterm elections and called on voters to support Democratic causes.
“Today’s decision makes crystal clear the contrast as we approach the November elections: elect more MAGA Republicans if you want nationwide abortion bans, the jailing of women and doctors and no exemptions for rape or incest. Or, elect more pro-choice Democrats to save Roe and protect a woman’s right to make their own decisions about their body, not politicians.”
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Jun 24, 10:46 am
Former VP Pence praises SCOTUS decision
Former Vice President Mike Pence praised the SCOTUS decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Today, Life Won,” Pence said in a statement. “By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, and I commend the justices in the majority for having the courage of their convictions.”
Pence said the 6-3 decision, which overturned 50 years of precedent, “righted a historic wrong.”
He continued, “Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.”
The former vice president has been a proponent of anti-abortion laws for years and has called numerous times on the court to overturn the decision.
Anti-abortion group March for Life praised the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, overturning federal protections for abortion.
“Today, the ability to determine whether and when to limit abortion was returned to the American people who have every right to enact laws like Mississippi’s which protect mothers and unborn babies after 15 weeks,” March for Life said in a statement.
The group called Roe v. Wade an “unpopular and extreme” abortion policy that had been imposed on the U.S. Polling shows 58% of Americans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
“We are so grateful to the countless pro-life people of goodwill who contributed and sacrificed to make today possible – including the millions of those who have marched for life over the years – and we recognize that this is just the beginning of our work to advance policies that protect life. We will continue to march until abortion is unthinkable because equality begins in the womb,” March for Life said.
Jun 24, 10:54 am
Schumer calls today ‘one of darkest days our country has ever seen’
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, in a statement following the Dobbs decision, called Friday one of the “darkest days our country has ever seen” and directly blamed “MAGA Republicans” for the decision.
“These justices were intentionally appointed by Republicans to overturn Roe v. Wade and every Republican Senator knew this would happen if they voted to confirm these radical justices,” Schumer said in a statement. “These MAGA Republicans are all complicit in today’s decision and all of its consequences for women and families in this country.”
He pointed to the upcoming midterm elections and called on voters to support Democratic causes.
“Today’s decision makes crystal clear the contrast as we approach the November elections: elect more MAGA Republicans if you want nationwide abortion bans, the jailing of women and doctors and no exemptions for rape or incest. Or, elect more pro-choice Democrats to save Roe and protect a woman’s right to make their own decisions about their body, not politicians.”
-ABC News’ Allison Pecorin
Jun 24, 10:46 am
Former VP Pence praises SCOTUS decision
Former Vice President Mike Pence praised the SCOTUS decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Today, Life Won,” Pence said in a statement. “By overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States has given the American people a new beginning for life, and I commend the justices in the majority for having the courage of their convictions.”
Pence said the 6-3 decision, which overturned 50 years of precedent, “righted a historic wrong.”
He continued, “Having been given this second chance for Life, we must not rest and must not relent until the sanctity of life is restored to the center of American law in every state in the land.”
The former vice president has been a proponent of anti-abortion laws for years and has called numerous times on the court to overturn the decision.
Jun 24, 10:45 am
Barack Obama calls decision ‘devastating’
Former President Barack Obama responded to the Supreme Court decision, saying although this opinion was expected, “that doesn’t make it any less devastating.”
“Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans,” he wrote in a statement.
The former president further called on people to support groups like Planned Parenthood and United State of Women that “have been sounding the alarm on this issue for years—and will continue to be on the front lines of this fight.”
Jun 24, 10:44 am
Anti-abortion groups call court ruling historic victory
Anti-abortion groups praised the Supreme Court decision to overturn federal abortion rights on Friday.
“Today marks an historic human rights victory for unborn children and their mothers and a bright pro-life future for our nation,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, in a statement.
“Every legislature in the land, in every single state and Congress, is now free to allow the will of the people to make its way into the law through our elected representatives,” Dannenfelser added.
Students for Life, another pro-abortion group, also called the ruling a “win,” saying, “Roe v. Wade has been a cancer growing in our Constitution resulting in more than 63 million deaths. Today, the court has cut it out.”
“The injustice of Roe has finally come to an end, and the momentum to protect life in law is finally on the side of innocent preborn children and their mothers who deserve our help,” said Students for Life President Kristan Hawkins.
Jun 24, 10:36 am
House minority leader applauds abortion decision
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, along with Republican Whip Rep. Steve Scalise and GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, immediately lauded the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health.
“Every unborn child is precious, extraordinary, and worthy of protection,” the trio of GOP leaders wrote in a statement minutes after the decision was announced. “We applaud this historic ruling, which will save countless innocent lives.
“The Supreme Court is right to return the power to protect the unborn to the people’s elected representatives in Congress and the states. In the days and weeks following this decision, we must work to continue to reject extreme policies that seek to allow late-term abortions and taxpayer dollars to fund these elective procedures.”
McCarthy added “more work remains” to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Jun 24, 10:26 am
Supreme Court overturns Roe, leaves abortion decisions up to states
The Supreme Court struck down 50 years of precedent on Friday, striking down abortion rights at the federal level.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion. “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely—the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”
(WASHINGTON) — The shooting occurred early Sunday at a private venue in South Tacoma, where a large crowd was gathering.
A Texas trail ride, a barbecue in New York City and a stone bridge in Minneapolis were among the settings for at least 10 mass shootings that erupted across the country between Friday and late Sunday, marking the fifth consecutive weekend U.S. law enforcement officers have responded to multiple incidents, each involving four or more victims shot.
Combined, the shootings this weekend left at least seven people dead and 46 injured, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a site that tracks shootings across the country. The website defines a mass shooting as a single incident involving four or more victims, which differs from the FBI’s definition as a single incident in which four or more people, not including the suspect, are killed.
The string of consecutive weekend mass-casualty incidents began over the Memorial Day holiday, when at least 17 shootings left a total of 13 dead and 79 injured in cities across the country.
The shootings come in the wake of a May 14 mass shooting at a Buffalo, New York, supermarket that left 10 people dead and three wounded and the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
7 shot, 1 fatally, in Georgia town
One person was killed and six were injured when gunfire broke out early Sunday in a crowded business district of Blakely, Georgia, authorities said.
Police officers were patrolling an entertainment district of Blakely, a small southwest Georgia city of about 5,000 residents, when they heard numerous gunshots around 12:45 a.m., the Blakely Police Department said in a statement. The officers rushed to the gunfire, found several victims suffering from gunshot wounds and began providing first aid, police said.
One mortally wounded victim was taken to Lifebrite Community Hospital, where the individual was pronounced dead, police said.
Other victims were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
“The shooting occurred in the densely crowded area of the nightclubs and food establishments on N. Church St.,” according to the police statement. “There were dozens of individuals who would have witnessed this incident and then left the area.”
No arrests have been announced. The Blakely Police Department is asking for anyone who witnessed the incident to “come forward and provide crucial information about this senseless crime.”
A motive for the shooting is under investigation.
8 shot at Tacoma, Washington, rave
At least eight people were injured early Sunday when gunfire erupted outside a rave in Tacoma, Washington, police said.
The shooting occurred at 12:45 a.m. at a private venue in South Tacoma, where police said the rave attracted a large crowd.
A barrage of gunfire erupted during an argument that broke out in an alley behind the venue, according to police.
The victims appear to have all suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were hospitalized in stable condition, the Tacoma Police Department said in a statement.
No arrests have been announced.
8-year-old among 4 shot at New York City barbecue
An 8-year-old boy was among four people shot Saturday night while attending a barbecue outside a residential building in New York City when two gunmen on a scooter pulled up and opened fire on the group, according to police.
Investigators suspect the victims were all innocent bystanders, authorities said.
The shooting erupted around 11:30 p.m. in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, according to the New York Police Department.
A group of people were barbecuing in the courtyard of a building when they were shot, according to police.
The child was grazed in the leg by bullet, authorities said.
Three adults — a 27-year-old man and two women, ages 35 and 46 — all suffered gunshot wounds to the legs, police said.
The victims were all treated at Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn.
No arrests have been announced and police were working Monday to identify suspects.
4 shot, 1 fatally, outside in San Antonio, Texas, nightclub
One person was killed and three others were injured when a shooting occurred early Sunday outside a San Antonio, Texas, nightclub, marking the second straight weekend police in the city have investigated a mass-casualty shooting.
Sunday’s shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. in the parking lot of the Manhattan Nightclub, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
The shooting happened after a disturbance inside the nightclub spilled outside, police said.
The name of the victim who was killed was not immediately released. Three others suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the episode.
No arrests were made.
The mass-casualty shooting came a week after five people were injured in a drive-by shooting in San Antonio that targeted a group of people having a barbecue outside a home, police said. No arrests have been announced in the June 18 shooting.
Street shooting in Paterson, New Jersey, leaves 5 injured
At least five people were injured, including three teenagers, when a shooting erupted early Sunday on a street in Paterson, New Jersey, police said.
Police said the victims were standing on a street corner at the intersection of Madison and Essex streets when gunfire broke out.
A 17-year-old boy and four men, including two 19-year-olds, were taken to Saint Joseph’s University Medical Center, where they were all treated for non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, according to a statement from the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office.
A motive for the shooting is under investigation. No arrests have been announced.
5 shot, 1 critically injured, at Texas trail ride and concert
A shootout between groups attending an organized trail ride and concert Sunday in Winona, Texas, left five people injured, authorities said.
The shooting occurred despite private security collecting firearms from attendees as they entered the event, which was held in a large pasture and billed by organizers as “a trail ride, ATV ride and horse show,” the Smith County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
A preliminary investigation showed a shooting initially erupted after a fight broke out near the event’s concert stage.
“Witnesses related that after the initial shooting that some of the groups ran and took their firearms back,” according to the sheriff’s office statement. “Subsequently, a second shooting took place in the area.”
The shooting remains under investigation and no arrests were announced.
One man was shot in the face and airlifted to a hospital in nearby Tyler, Texas, where he was in critical condition, the sheriff’s office said.
Four other injured people were treated at hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries and released, the sheriff’s office said.
The trail ride was organized by a group called the Unified Elite Trail Riderzz, which could not be reached for comment. The group posted a message on its Facebook page on Sunday, saying, “Unified Elite Trail Riderzz would like to send prayers out to families and friends involved in the incident from last night.”
8 shot, one fatally, at party in Sutherlin, Virginia
A 20-year-old man was killed and seven other people were injured when gunfire erupted at a party in Sutherlin, Virginia, early Sunday that was attended by more than 100 revelers, according to police.
“We’re going to do everything we can to bring justice to that family and to the other victims in this case,” Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor said at a news conference.
The shooting unfolded about 1:30 a.m. in the rural community about 70 miles south of Lynchburg, Taylor said.
The man killed in the shooting was identified as Jerome Jahiem White, according to ABC affiliate station WSET in Lynchburg.
A motive for the shooting remains under investigation. No arrests have been made.
Taylor said investigators suspect that more than one shooter was involved.
Taylor asked that anyone who was at the party to contact police immediately.
“For the life of me, if I had a loved one who was at a party and was shot or hurt, if I had information, I would surely get that to the proper authorities,” Taylor said. “I can’t answer why people won’t cooperate.”
4 people shot near Minneapolis’ Stone Arch Bridge
Four people were injured, including three teenagers, when a shooting erupted Saturday at the Stone Arch Bridge near downtown Minneapolis, police said.
Minneapolis police officers responded to reports of multiple shots being fired at one end of the bridge and arrived to find a “chaotic scene” with fights breaking out among a large crowd gathered there, according to the Minneapolis Police Department.
After getting the crowd under control, officers found four people shot, including a man in his 30s who was shot in the head and taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to police. Three teenagers, including a 17-year-old girl, were also taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
A motive for the shooting is under investigation.
Detectives found multiple shell casings at the scene, leading them to believe a rifle and a pistol were used in the shooting.
Witnesses told police that a possible suspect fled the area in a white Dodge Charger.
No arrests have been announced.
4 teenagers shot, two killed, at Houston home
Four teenagers were shot inside a home during an argument between two groups of young people in Houston early Saturday morning, police said.
The shooting unfolded around 1:35 a.m. at a home in the South Acres neighborhood of southeast Houston, Assistant Chief Ban Tien of the Houston Police Department said at a news conference.
Tien said about nine or 10 people were gathered at the home when a second group arrived and “some sort of argument or disturbance escalated into a shooting.”
He said a motive for the deadly confrontation is under investigation.
Officers who went to the home found two teenagers, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old, both suffering from bullet wounds to the torso. The two teenagers, whose names have not been released, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other teenagers, one 17 and the other 18, were taken to hospitals. Their conditions were not released.
No arrests have been made in the shooting.
“It appears they are all acquaintances. They know each other,” Tien said. “At this time, we don’t know if they were invited or uninvited. But that will be part of the investigation.”
Several guns were recovered from the home, police said.
14-year-old killed in shooting in Hopewell, Virginia
Two teenagers, including a 14-year-old boy, were killed and two other juveniles were injured in a shooting Friday night in Hopewell, Virginia, police said.
The shooting happened about 10:30 p.m. near some railroad tracks in the Richmond, Virginia, suburb.
Police officers responded to reports of a shooting around 10:30 p.m. and discovered two victims lying on the railroad tracks suffering from gunshot wounds, officials said. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other teenagers were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
No arrests were announced and a motive remains under investigation.
Police identified the two slain teenagers as 14-year-old Micah Coles of Hopewell and 18-year-old Jasir Culver of Petersburg, Virginia.
(WASHINGTON) — The reversal of Roe v. Wade could lead to a dramatic increase of babies born in the United States, including thousands of high-risk births, a new report finds.
The data, from health care industry consulting firm Sg2, estimates there will be an additional 150,500 to 159,700 live births each year in the U.S. The projections have not yet been peer-reviewed.
Birth rates in the country have been declining ever since the Great Recession of 2008-09 and were only worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers found limiting access to abortion in several states will boost birth rates beginning in the second half of this year.
For the report, Sg2 looked at data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2019 abortion surveillance report as well as data from the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that focuses on sexual and reproductive health.
About 808,000 to 862,000 abortions were estimated to have occurred in 2019 with 60% of those being in so-called “protected” states, where abortion access is in little danger of being restricted. The group then analyzed how many of the abortions in “restricted” states would not have been performed if the Supreme Court ruling had occurred then.
In addition to the overall increase in births, the report projected there will be a larger number of births requiring a higher level of care, between 18,400 and 19,600 per year.
Of those, 17,300 to 18,400 are expected to be babies born prematurely, including about 5,400 born early preterm, which is before 34 weeks gestation.
Premature babies are at a greater risk for problems with feeding, breathing, vision and hearing, as well as behavioral issues.
The higher level of care group also includes 1,500 to 1,600 infants born with congenital anomalies such as Down syndrome or heart defects.
Additionally, the report estimated there will be an increase in both maternal and neonatal mortality rates, especially among groups with traditionally less access to prenatal care, such as Black women.
The team suggests that in states where abortion is restricted, physicians at hospitals, clinics and other services should prepare for the increase in births as well as the increase in more babies requiring a higher level of care.
“There is no question that this ruling significantly alters the landscape for reproductive services nationwide,” the report read. “The state-level disparities that already exist in women’s health outcomes will deepen
