The pro-abortion Left is getting fired up about the possibility--which may even be a likelihood--that Roe v. Wade will be overturned in just a few months. In fact, that landmark decision from 1973 which legalized abortion on demand in all 50 states was trending over Twitter on Thursday, in addition to "#DeSantis," in reaction to Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) signing legislation that bans almost all abortions after 15-weeks. As Madeline highlighted on Thursday, the freakout over that was exactly what you'd expect.
Gov. DeSantis is not the only one to have signed pro-life legislation this week, though it's worth highlighting that the popular governor up for re-election this November is a particularly popular target worth highlighting. When it comes to 15-week abortion bans in other states, legislatures have also thwarted the efforts of pro-abortion governors who would seek to stand in their way from protecting the unborn. As Madeline also reported on Thursday, the Kentucky legislature overrode a veto from Gov. Andy Beshear (D).
As Madeline has emphasized in her reports and covered previously, such abortion bans are mainstream in Europe, which the Left otherwise loves to emulate. Most countries in Europe ban abortion at 12-weeks, which is at the end of the first trimester.
At 15-weeks, which the Mayo Clinic defines as being 13-weeks after conception, there is an emphasis on how "your baby is growing rapidly."
BabyCenter focuses on "Sense of taste," "Baby movement," and "Your baby's face." Under the latter heading, it reads: "Your baby is looking more like a little person, with eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, hair, and well-defined fingers and toes. If you could see inside your womb, you'd catch your baby sucking a thumb, yawning, stretching, and making faces."
Even earlier in the week, on Tuesday, Madeline covered Gov. Kevin Stitt (R-OK) signing a near-total abortion ban in his state, with there being an exception for medical emergencies. Gov. Stitt emphasized that Oklahoma is a pro-life state, declaring "we want Oklahoma to be the most pro-life state in the country. We want to outlaw abortion in the state of Oklahoma." He also later noted that "we're going to sign every piece of pro-life legislation that hits our desk."
Gov. Stitt acknowledged such challenges were coming to come. "Attorney General John O’Connor and I know this bill will be challenged immediately by liberal activists from the coasts who always seem to want to come in and dictate and mandate and challenge our way of life."
On Tuesday, that same day, the White House released an official statement from White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki condemning the law. While the statement called out Oklahoma's law in particular for being "one of the most extreme state laws signed into law to date," it also discussed the Biden administration's concerns with other pro-life laws passing around the country.
"Protecting the right recognized in Roe v. Wade continues to be a priority for the Biden-Harris Administration, and we call on Congress to pass the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would shut down these attacks and codify this long-recognized, constitutional right," the statement in part mentioned. "Make no mistake: the actions today in Oklahoma are a part of a disturbing national trend attacking women’s rights and the Biden Administration will continue to stand with women in Oklahoma and across the country in the fight to defend their freedom to make their own choices about their futures."
If anything is "disturbing," it's the White House and Democratic Party's preoccupation with passing the Women's Health Protection Act. Though it passed the House last September, it failed in the Senate late in February, thanks to Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and the filibuster, as Guy and I highlighted at the time. Another "disturbing" aspect, as I highlighted in my coverage, is how Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), at a February 28 press conference, claimed that "these new restrictions largely fly in the face of public opinion, common sense, and frankly, common decency" as a motivation to pass the bill.
Such legislation would not only codify Roe into law, but it would invalidate virtually all pro-life laws in states across the country and legalize abortion up until birth for any reason.
While Roe could soon be overturned, states are still under its strict confines. Last December, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson, which challenged the 15-week ban from Mississippi from 2018. A decision is expected in June. While one can never be too careful when it comes to predicting how the Court will rule, pro-life activists are hopeful that Roe will be overturned, at least in part, which pro-abortion activists similarly fear.
Were Roe to be overturned, the abortion decision would be left up to the states. According to the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion without Roe. Pro-life groups such as Students for Life of America and the Family Policy Alliance have projects outlining what abortion will look like in a post-Roe America.
Such progress is welcome news for the pro-life movement, especially after, as Landon and Madeline reported, the Maryland legislature overrode a veto from Gov. Larry Hogan (R), thus allowing non-physicians to perform abortions.