President Joe Biden lashed out at the Supreme Court on Thursday, calling its decision to leave in place a new anti-abortion law in Texas, “an unprecedented assault on a woman’s constitutional rights.”
In a statement, Biden said “Rather than use its supreme authority to ensure justice could be fairly sought, the highest Court of our land will allow millions of women in Texas in need of critical reproductive care to suffer while courts sift through procedural complexities.”
The president bemoaned the Court’s use of the so-called shadow docket, adding “For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts.”
Biden pledged to launch a “whole-of-government” effort to protect access to safe and legal abortion in Texas.
Likewise, Attorney General Merrick Garland released a statement saying, “The Justice Department is deeply concerned about Texas SB8. We are evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to abortion.”
Condemnation of the new Texas law, which effectively bans 85% of abortions by outlawing the procedure once fetal cardiac activity is detected, has been universal among Democratic lawmakers.
“This attack on women’s health care is a powerful reminder of the stakes in next year’s election — and why we must defend a Democratic Senate majority with the power to confirm or reject Supreme Court justices,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokeswoman Jazmin Vargas said in a statement Wednesday.
See below for more reaction from top Democrats.
