Americans were blindsided by the leaked news that the Supreme Court allegedly intends to overturn Roe v. Wade. Now, the whole country is reacting with many emotions, especially women advocates like State Senator Lauren Book (D-FL).
The exact language that warranted such a passionate reaction from the country came from Justice Samuel Alito's initial draft majority opinion.
Justice Alito writes, "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision...."
Alito then clarified that the decision does not involve revoking other rights that may be tied to Roe v. Wade, such as same-sex marriage or privacy rights. The Justice articulated, "We emphasize that our decision concerns the constitutional right to abortion and no other right." Alito continued, "Nothing in this opinion should be understood to cast doubt on precedents that do not concern abortion."
Senator Lauren Book has been one of the most effective voices in Florida for the advancement of women's rights. In particular, Book has passed critical legislation on sexual assault, a topic she takes personally.
The Senate Minority Leader responded to the now infamous Politico article that shattered the news and went on an expected rant. Book went on to say, "Roe v Wade is dangerously close to being overturned by the Supreme Court." The Senator added, "This is not a hypothetical, there is no thin veil - this is a blatant, present, and real attack on women’s reproductive rights waged by the GOP. This is why elections matter."
Roe v Wade is dangerously close to being overturned by the Supreme Court. This is not a hypothetical, there is no thin veil - this is a blatant, present, and real attack on women’s reproductive rights waged by the GOP. This is why elections matter. https://t.co/KTIwZKOs4u
— Lauren Book (@LeaderBookFL) May 3, 2022
Reactions like these are to be expected in the coming days, and more importantly, legislation. If abortion is no longer interpreted as a right by the federal government, then nothing would stop an all out ban on abortion in the state of Florida.
