The Supreme Court voted to overrule the decisions of Roe and Casey.
The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in a much-anticipated ruling Friday in one of its biggest decisions this term.
The court voted 5-4, largely along party lines, to overturn Roe and 6-3, in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which involved Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
It appeared that the panel's conservative majority of justices was ready to overturn nearly 50 years of established abortion rights after last month's leaked draft decision indicated as much.
President Joe Biden will speak on the abortion ruling at 12:30 p.m., according to the White House.
Following the release of the draft opinion in May, Biden called abortion a "fundamental" right.
"Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned,” Biden said in a statement at the time.
Planned Parenthood warned Friday that the Supreme Court overturning the right to abortion is just the beginning, warning there is a threat to Americans' rights.
"Make no mistake – if they can take away the right to abortion, a right we’ve held for nearly 50 years, they won’t stop here: All of our freedoms are on the line," Planned Parenthood said.
The group said the court's decision to overturn abortion rights will impact women in marginalized communities.
"Due to centuries of racism and systemic discrimination, we already know who will feel the consequences of this horrific decision most acutely: Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, those living in rural areas, young people, immigrants, and those having difficulties making ends meet," Planned Parenthood said.
Abortion rights groups responded to the Supreme Court decision Friday overturning Roe v. Wade.
"Today, the Supreme Court eviscerated the last shreds of our national right to abortion and blatantly turned its back on our dignity," said Morgan Hopkins, interim executive director for campaigns and strategies at All* Above All, in a statement.
She added, "The ripple effects will be felt far and wide, in every state across the country. And to be clear -- today’s decision is the result of a decades-long scheme to dismantle access to abortion care."
Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, associate professor of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health, said the decision "will fall hardest on women of color and low-income people, who already experience extreme health disparities under a racist health care system."
Debasri Ghosh, the managing Director at the National Network of Abortion Funds, said the decision was expected but nonetheless "infuriating."
"The harm of abortion restrictions will now fall even harder on Black, Indigenous and people of color, people already excluded from our health care by systemic racism and economic injustice," she added.
Former first ladies Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton reacted to the Supreme Court decision, both condemning it.
Obama, in her statement, said repeatedly that she is "heartbroken," including "for people around this country who just lost the fundamental right to make informed decisions about their own bodies."
Clinton, who also served as secretary of state, said, "Today's Supreme Court opinion will live in infamy as a step backward for women's rights and human rights."
"This horrifying decision will have devastating consequences," Obama wrote in her full statement.
