Ocasio-Cortez: Supreme Court ‘isn’t just coming for abortion’

BY MAUREEN BRESLIN - 05/03/22 

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Monday warned progressives that the Supreme Court “isn’t just coming for abortion” after a leak of a Supreme Court draft ruling that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

“As we’ve warned, SCOTUS isn’t just coming for abortion — they’re coming for the right to privacy Roe rests on which includes gay marriage + civil rights,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

“Manchin is blocking Congress codifying Roe. House has seemingly forgotten about Clarence Thomas. These 2 points must change,” the liberal firebrand continued, taking shots at Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.



A draft ruling on Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion a constitutional right nationwide, was leaked by Politico on Monday night. The opinion was drafted by Justice Samuel Alito, a George W. Bush appointee.

The opinion concludes by declaring that Roe and the court’s decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey both have no grounding in the Constitution.

Ocasio-Cortez later retweeted a statement from Slate reporter Mark Joseph Stern pointing to passages in the draft opinion.

“Alito’s draft opinion explicitly criticizes Lawrence v. Texas (legalizing sodomy) and Obergefell v. Hodges (legalizing same-sex marriage),” Joseph wrote. “He says that, like abortion, these decisions protect phony rights that are not ‘deeply rooted in history.’ ”
Florida Republican: Abortion ban can help human-trafficking victims escape captorsHow conservative media is reacting to the bombshell SCOTUS leak on Roe v. Wade

Ocasio-Cortez ally Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) tweeted that he thinks the Senate needs to end the filibuster in order to codify Roe v. Wade into law. Ocasio-Cortez specifically targeted Manchin in her tweet following his previous stance, along with Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), to keep filibuster rules in place in the upper chamber.

In late March, Ocasio-Cortez and others called on Justice Clarence Thomas to resign or face impeachment for “his failure to disclose income from right-wing organizations, recuse himself from matters involving his wife, and his vote to block the Jan 6th commission from key information must be investigated and could serve as grounds for impeachment.”

The longtime justice faced scrutiny at the time following reports that his wife had aggressively led efforts to try to overturn the 2020 election in favor of former President Trump.

Democrat says Roe downfall could lead to attacks on birth control

BY MYCHAEL SCHNELL - 05/03/22 

Greg Nash

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said that if the landmark Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade is overturned, there could be attacks on birth control pills.

The comments from Lee come after Politico first reported a draft Supreme Court ruling that would overturn the 1973 decision.

Lee, in a tweet initially written on April 25 but retweeted after Politico’s report, said overturning Roe v. Wade is “about controlling & criminalizing our bodies.”

“PSA: if Roe falls, your constitutional right to birth control will also be in jeopardy. This has never just been about abortion. It’s about controlling & criminalizing our bodies,” she wrote on Twitter.

In a separate tweet, Lee said the reported draft ruling striking down Roe v. Wade was “horrific news” and “shocking.”

“We all knew the odds, but it is nonetheless shocking to see a Court move towards overturning 50 years of precedent in a stunning revocation of our right to have an abortion. But just as important: this is NOT an official ruling. Abortion is still legal,” she wrote.

The revelation sent shockwaves through the country Monday evening when Politico published a draft majority ruling for a case involving a Mississippi law that prohibits abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The majority draft opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, says the decisions in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey should be overturned and do not have grounds in the Constitution.

If the document reported by Politico is accurate and justices do not change their positions in the time between now and when the final ruling is handed down, the overturning of Roe v. Wade could spell trouble for contraceptives in the U.S.

The State reported in October that the case threatens rights to utilize birth control.

Some House Democrats are now pressing the Senate to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade.

The House approved the legislation in the fall, but it faces an upward battle in the Senate: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) joined Republicans in February and opposed the bill, leaving Democrats short of the votes needed to move the bill toward a debate in the upper chamber.

 IN THE KNOW

Hollywood rips abortion ruling draft: ‘SCOTUS nudges America closer to Handmaids Tale status’

BY JUDY KURTZ - 05/03/22 

Anna Rose Layden

A protestor dressed as a character from ‘The Handmaids Tale’ stands in front of the Supreme Court, while a pro-life counter protestor holding a candle prays in the background. Following the leak of a Supreme Court draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade, protestors gather in the middle of the night in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, May 3, 2022.

Celebrities are blasting a draft ruling that indicates the Supreme Court is poised to overturn its Roe v. Wade decision that protects the federal right to abortion, calling it a “shameful” move that will “condemn women to die.”

The draft majority opinion published Monday by Politico, reportedly written in February, would give states authority over abortion access — a reversal of the 1973 landmark ruling that said the Constitution protects a woman’s right to choose abortion without excessive government restriction.

The report of the draft opinion ignited a social media firestorm and led to protests outside the Supreme Court in Washington, with several prominent Hollywood figures condemning its conservative majority.

Actor Sophia Bush reacted to a photo of barricades being erected outside the Supreme Court, writing on Twitter, “How nice that these ideological nuts who don’t care about democracy or the will of the people — who overwhelmingly support a woman’s right to choose — can feel safe inside whilst they eviscerate our rights and condemn women to die.”

“Abortion will never end,” the “Chicago P.D.” star wrote. “Only safe abortions.”

Bette Midler, a vocal critic of former President Trump, wrote that Roe v. Wade has “been settled law, guaranteed by the Constitution for 50 years; the 14^th Amendment to the document that is the foundation of our country’s laws.”

“If they strike down this amendment,” the 76-year-old performer said, “what is to stop them striking down others that conservatives don’t agree with?”

“Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who in 2018 donated $2 million to a Democratic super political action committee, dubbed the court “staggeringly partisan, saying it was leading the country to a dystopian future.

Elizabeth Banks also urged Americans to make their voices heard at the ballot box, writing to her more than 2 million Twitter followers, “Despite what this platform and a vocal minority would have you believe, abortion is not that controversial in everyday America.”

“Most Americans support reproductive rights. Get out the VOTE for it,” the “Charlie’s Angels” director said.

“Restricting abortion access is about controlling women,” comedian Michael Ian Black said. “Not a coincidence that this is happening as women ascend in the economy,” he said.

“Little Fires Everywhere’s” Reese Witherspoon shared a simple message: “Hey SCOTUS. Let Roe Vs. Wade stand.”

“Spotlight” star Mark Ruffalo, a prominent Democratic donor and activist, slammed the draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito, saying, “Forced birth and illegal abortions across state lines is backwards and cruel.”

“The Supreme Court has BECOME the division,” Ruffalo, 54, wrote. Based on Alito’s arguments, Ruffalo said, the high court “is strictly political now.”

“A majority in this country are angry tonight. Not a small majority. A giant majority,” wrote “Frozen’s” Josh Gad.

“I will fight like hell,” he said. “We all must.”