Mohave Today

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, praised the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization which overturned Roe v. Wade and held that the U.S. Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion. 

The landmark decision overruled nearly 50 years of precedent on abortion law in an opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito.

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. According to SCOTUSblog, the case was examining the constitutionality of a Mississippi law which banned most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Court upheld the law by a 6-3 vote. In a narrow 5-4 vote, the Court also overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and ruled that the Constitution did not protect access to abortion.

"Today the Supreme Court, in line with modern science and overwhelming public consensus, recognized the truth in every mother’s heart and that pro-life advocates have argued all along: Unborn children are human beings, deserving of protection," Dannenfelser said, according to a press release. "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." 

Justice Samuel Alito wrote the court's opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts was the concurring vote who voted to uphold the Mississippi law without overruling Roe. Justices Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor wrote a joint dissent. According to SCOTUSblog, Alito's opinion found that Roe had been "egregiously wrong and deeply damaging." He noted that the Constitution never mentioned abortion and examined nearly 200 years of American law showing that states had been seriously restricting abortion for decades well before Roe v. Wade in 1973.

The National Right to Life Committee tweeted its support for the decision, calling it a correction of Roe v. Wade, "the most egregious and deadly Judicial ruling."

According to a report by CNET, Arizona is poised to restrict most abortions after 15 weeks. The new law was signed by Gov. Doug Ducey and will go into effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends in June. Exceptions are made for the cases where the life of the mother would be at risk.

Not everyone agreed with the Supreme Court Ruling. Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly tweeted his reaction to the Dobbs decision, calling it "a giant step back."