Vice President Kamala Harris is warning that all Americans’ rights are “at risk” after a leaked draft of a Supreme Court opinion appeared to show it was set to overturn a landmark abortion decision.
“The United States Supreme Court has now confirmed that the draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade is genuine,” Harris said in a statement Tuesday.
She continued, “Roe ensures a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion. It also, at its root, protects the fundamental right to privacy.”
She went on:
“What is clear is that opponents of Roe want to punish women and take away their rights to make decisions about their own bodies. Republican legislators in states across the country are weaponizing the use of the law against women.”
Finally, the vice president added, “The rights of all Americans are at risk. If the right to privacy is weakened, every person could face a future in which the government can potentially interfere in the personal decisions you make about your life. This is the time to fight for women and for our country with everything we have.”
Read the statement below:
This is the time to fight for women and our country with everything we have. My statement on the Supreme Court decision draft on Roe v. Wade. pic.twitter.com/5tvjOUTmZ2
— Vice President Kamala Harris Archived (@VP46Archive) May 3, 2022
On Monday, Politico reported that it obtained a draft opinion that appeared to show the Supreme Court was poised to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision.
The court confirmed that the document was authentic but said that it “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case.”
And Chief Justice John Roberts called the document’s leak a “betrayal” and an “egregious breach.”
President Joe Biden issued a warning similar to Harris’ when he was asked if the leak “has irreparably changed the court.”
“Well, you know, if this decision holds, it’s really a radical decision,” Biden responded.
In case you missed it:
NEW: Pres. Biden says if leaked draft of Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade holds, it's "really quite a radical decision.”
— ABC News (@ABC) May 3, 2022
“It’s a fundamental shift in American jurisprudence.” https://t.co/GIOGLeqJhb pic.twitter.com/tFZCHyDa7Y
He continued, “The underlying premise — and again I’ve not had a chance to thoroughly go into the decision — but it basically says all the decisions relating to your private life — who you marry, whether or not you decide to conceive a child or not, whether or not you can have an abortion, a range of other decisions, how you raise your child — what does this do?”
“Does this mean that in Florida, they can decide they’re going to pass a law saying that same-sex marriage is not permissible? It’s against the law in Florida. So, it’s a fundamental shift in American jurisprudence,” Biden added.
