Will Congress Pass a Resolution to Celebrate Overturn of Roe v. Wade?

On June 24, 2022, in a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court made “a historic and far-reaching decision” when it officially reversed Roe v. Wade. This decision was made after forty-nine years of legal abortion, and it means that the constitutional right to abortion no longer exists. Nina Totenberg and Sarah McCammon authored an article at NPR.org and wrote the following: 

Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that the 1973 Roe ruling and repeated subsequent high court decisions reaffirming Roe “must be overruled” because they were “egregiously wrong,” the arguments “exceptionally weak” and so “damaging” that they amounted to “an abuse of judicial authority.”

The decision did not eliminate abortions in the United States. It merely sent the responsibility for decisions back to the states. Numerous states have passed laws codifying the right to an abortion, while other states have passed laws to tighten up control for abortions.

On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, Republican senators introduced a resolution to celebrate the second anniversary of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, according to Mary Margaret Olohan at The Daily Signal. Senator Marco Rubio (R-Florida) led the effort, and he was joined by Mike Lee (R-Utah), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), and Steven Daines (R-Montana). Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) will introduce companion legislation in the House, according to Olohan. 

“I will always support the sanctity of life,” Rubio told The Daily Signal on Tuesday. “This anniversary serves as a time to celebrate the great work that has been achieved by the pro-life movement and reaffirm our commitment to support families and protect the unborn.”

According to Olohan, the Senate resolution “would commemorate the two years since the ruling.” It would celebrate “the millions of lives that will be saved as a result of the ruling in Dobbs,” committing to “protecting the unalienable right to life and guarding unborn lives against lethal violence,” as well as to “supporting families, including new and expectant mothers and their children.”

Olohan also wrote that the “Senate would also commit to ‘proclaiming the humanity of the unborn, consistent with the findings of modern science and the unswerving demands of justice.’”

The decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was not a surprise to anyone because someone leaked the draft majority opinion that indicated the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The leak brought all kinds of illegal and violent behavior, including months of protests out the homes of conservative Supreme Court justices. It also prompted an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his home.

Despite repeated condemnations by conservatives, local and federal prosecutors failed to enforce laws against intimidation of federal judges that are already on the books. Also, there have been no announcements concerning arrests for the individual(s) who leaked the court decision, an illegal act.