Barack Obama: Supreme Court ‘Attacking Essential Freedoms’ of Americans by Overturning Roe v. Wade

Former President Barack Obama issued a statement criticizing the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade on Friday, effectively ending the constitutional right to abortion.

“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,” Obama wrote in a statement.

The Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade on Friday with a vote of 5-4, stating Americans did not have a Constitutional right to abort their children.

“Abortion presents a profound moral question,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion released by the court. “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.”

The former president issued a reaction before President Joe Biden, describing the decision as “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.

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) June 24, 2022

Obama urged Americans to rally with pro-abortion organizations such as Planned Parenthood to overturn pro-life laws in Republican states.

“Join with the activists who’ve been sounding the alarm on abortion access for years — and act,” he wrote.

Obama also encouraged his party to organize against Republicans in the midterms.

“Vote on or before November 8th and in every other election,” he wrote. “Because in the end, if we want judges who will protect all, and not just some, of our rights, then we’ve got to elect officials committed to doing the same,” he concluded.