Politics

Biden Decries Supreme Court’s Decision Overturning Roe V. Wade, Calls For Voters To Turn Out For The Midterms

(Screenshot YouTube, President Joe Biden Delivers Remarks on the Supreme Court Dobbs Decision 6/24/22 WH feed)

Shelby Talcott Senior White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden decried the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and urged voters to turn out for the midterms during remarks to the nation Friday afternoon.

Speaking at the White House hours after the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to overturn the landmark decision that deemed abortion is protected under the U.S. Constitution, Biden called the decision a “tragic error.” He called on Congress to act in restoring federal abortion protections and pointedly highlighted the upcoming midterm elections.

“This fall, Roe is on the ballot,” the president declared, issuing a call for voters to turn out and choose more pro-choice lawmakers.

Biden noted that the Supreme Court’s decision does not prevent a woman from crossing state lines to receive an abortion. He vowed to defend this “bedrock right” and also promised to “protect women’s access to medications.” (RELATED: Biden Warns Of A ‘Mini Revolution’ If SCOTUS Overturns Roe)

“This decision is the culmination of a deliberate effort, over decades, to upset the balance of our law,” Biden said. “It’s a realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court, in my view. The court has done what has never done before: expressly take away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans that it had already been recognized.”

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“The court’s decision to do so will have real and immediate consequences. State laws banning abortion are automatically taking effect today, jeopardizing the health of millions of women, some without exceptions,” the president added.

Biden said that the ruling takes “America back 150 years” and at one point referenced apparent fears that applications used to track women’s periods will be used to track down those looking to get an abortion.

“But extremist governors and state legislatures … looking to block the mail or search the person’s medicine cabinet or control a women’s actions by tracking data on her apps she uses are wrong and extreme and out of touch,” he said.

The president also issued a call for protests to be peaceful. His push for peace followed reports of attacks against pro-life offices and buildings, and a statement appearing to be from the group “Jane’s Revenge,” which called for violence until pro-life groups shuttered.

“I call on everyone, no matter how deeply they care about this decision to keep all protests peaceful, peaceful, peaceful, peaceful,” Biden said. “No intimidation. Violence is never acceptable. Threats and intimidation are not speech. We must stand against violence in any form.”

A would-be assassin was arrested outside of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home earlier in June. (RELATED: Protesters Return To Kavanaugh’s Home Night After Murder Attempt)