The Biden administration has made a special effort to criticize the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially abroad.
During a press conference Thursday in Madrid, President Joe Biden called the decision “destabilizing” and “outrageous behavior,” not just “on overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.”
Biden: “[T]he one thing that has been destabilizing [the world] is the outrageous behavior of the Supreme Court of the United States in overruling not only Roe v. Wade, but essentially challenging the right to privacy.” pic.twitter.com/HUuJlOktOH
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 30, 2022
“We’ve been a leader in the world in terms of personal rights and privacy rights, and it is a mistake, in my view, for the Supreme Court to do what it did,” Biden stated during the press conference.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in a press release Friday that “the Supreme Court has taken away the established, fundamental, Constitutional right to abortion from millions of Americans. This is a cruel, dark, and dangerous decision.”
Thomas-Greenfield also cited the right of privacy and raised concerns about gender equality, saying, “what makes this decision so heartbreaking is that Americans had a clear and unequivocal Constitutional right stripped away. Roe v. Wade not only protected the right to privacy, it also reaffirmed basic principles of gender equality – that all women have the power to control their own destinies and make intensely personal choices free from interference from politicians.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement saying that the overturning of Roe v. Wade “eliminated an established right that has been an essential component of women’s liberty for half a century” and that “The Justice Department strongly disagrees with the Court’s decision.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand Attorney General Merrick Garland, DOJ Take Action Over Vandalized Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers)
This is not the first time that Garland or the Department of Justice (DOJ) have gone against a decision made by the Supreme Court in matters that did not specifically affect federal law. The DOJ said “we respectfully disagree with the Court’s conclusion” on the New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen case, which struck down a New York State law requiring gun owners to show “proper cause” to obtain a concealed carry permit.
BREAKING: DOJ releases statement that they “respectfully disagree” with Supreme Court’s ruling on New York gun law: “The Department of Justice remains committed to saving innocent lives by enforcing and defending federal firearms laws.” https://t.co/DZ7dBEjJ36 pic.twitter.com/OdFm2rdOhz
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) June 23, 2022
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken declined to give his opinion on Roe v. Wade during a press conference in Berlin saying that he didn’t “want to get ahead of the President.” Blinken focused on highlighting the administration’s aim of maintaining “solidarity” with all its allies in its efforts to support Ukraine.