Supreme Court abortion ruling updates: WH warns of ‘nightmare scenarios’

The Supreme Court voted to overrule the decisions of Roe and Casey.

ByMeredith Deliso, Mark Osborne, Nadine El-Bawab, Mary Kekatos, Alexandra Svokos, Kate Pastor, Haley Yamada, Stephanie Guerilus , and Melissa Gaffney
Last Updated: June 29, 2022, 4:29 PM EDT

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.

Abortion rights supporters react to the overturning of Roe v Wade outside the United States Supreme Court in Washington, June 24, 2022.
Mary F. Calvert/Reuters

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.

Top headlines:

Here's how the news is developing. All times Eastern.
Jun 27, 2022, 4:57 PM EDT

Pelosi outlines Democrats' next steps in abortion fight

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter Monday to House Democrats outlining possible next steps to expand abortion access after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.

"While this extremist Supreme Court works to punish and control the American people, Democrats must continue our fight to expand freedom in America. Doing so is foundational to our oath of office and our fidelity to the Constitution," she wrote.

Pelosi said possible next steps include protecting women's personal data in reproductive apps so it can't be used against them in a state that criminalizes abortion as well as making it clear Americans have the right to travel freely throughout the U.S. in response to states attempting to criminalize those who travel out-of-state for an abortion.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks to reporters minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion, in the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center on June 24, 2022 in Washington.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

She added that she will work to pass legislation that codifies a woman's right to an abortion, which was passed by the House in September 2021 but blocked in the Senate.

Pelosi added legislation will also be introduced to "further codify" marriage equality and women's access to contraception and IVF, after Justice Clarance Thomas wrote in a concurring opinion the court should reexamine rulings on these topics.

-ABC News' Mariam Khan

Jun 27, 2022, 4:33 PM EDT

Abortion rights groups file suit against Kentucky trigger ban

Abortion rights groups filed a lawsuit Monday to prevent Kentucky's trigger ban from going into effect after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade last week.

Under the law, anybody who performs or attempts to perform an abortion will be charged with a Class D felony, punishable by one to five years in prison. The only exception is if the mother's health is at risk.

PHOTO: Abortion rights advocates chant and display signs at gathering in dissent of the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case which removed a federal right to abortion, Louisville, Ky., June 24, 2022.
Abortion rights advocates chant and display signs at gathering in dissent of the Supreme Court's decision in the Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health case which overturned the landmark 50 year old Roe v Wade case and removed a federal right to abortion, Louisville, Ky., June 24, 2022.
Jon Cherry/Getty Images

The groups that filed the suit -- American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU of Kentucky, and Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawaiʻi, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky -- argue the ban goes against the Kentucky Constitution, which protects the right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

In the lawsuit, the groups are also seeking to block a six-week abortion ban that was previously blocked by a federal court.

-ABC News' Andrea Amiel

Jun 27, 2022, 1:36 PM EDT

State court blocks Louisiana's trigger ban

A state court blocked Louisiana's trigger law banning abortion from going into effect on Monday after a petition was filed earlier in the day by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.

The petition was filed on behalf Hope Medical Group for Women -- a clinic located in Shreveport -- arguing that the trigger ban was "vague" and didn't explicitly state when a provider could interfere to save a woman's life.

Abortion care will resume in the state and a hearing has been set for July 8.

-ABC News' Ely Brown

Jun 27, 2022, 12:52 PM EDT

Abortion providers challenge Louisiana's trigger law

Abortion providers have teamed up with a law firm to challenge Louisiana's trigger ban following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.

The Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP filed a petition Monday on behalf of Hope Medical Group for Women -- a clinic located in Shreveport -- its administrator Kathaleen Pittman and Medical Students for Choice requesting emergency relief from the ban.

The ban does not allow abortions in most instances except if the mother's life is at risk. However, the doctor must make an effort to save the life of both the other and the fetus before performing an abortion.

The plaintiffs argue Louisiana's trigger laws are "vague" and that it's impossible to tell what constitutes as the mother's life being at risk.

“Seeking reproductive care is already difficult in the U.S., especially in Louisiana," said Pittman in a statement.

She continued, "We are committed to this monumental legal challenge -- not to perpetuate an endless political battle, but to ensure our patients’ wellbeing and so that they may draw strength from our dedication to this fight.”