Hillary Clinton calls Roe v Wade reports a 'disgrace' that will 'kill women'

Hillary Clinton has branded reports that the supreme court could overturn Roe v Wade as "an utter disgrace".

Responding to reports that the ruling that legalised abortion could be overturned, the former presidential candidate called it "outrageous" and warned, "it will kill and subjugate women".

She wrote:

"Not surprising. But still outrageous. This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law. It will kill and subjugate women even as a vast majority of Americans think abortion should be legal. What an utter disgrace."

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It comes after Politico said it had obtained an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated in the court on 10th February that suggests the US Supreme Court has provisionally voted to overturn the 1973 ruling.

Politico quoted Alito as saying: “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”

The justice adds: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

The ruling gives federal protection to women's rights to abortion. If overturned, each state in the US will be allowed to make their own decision about whether to restrict or ban abortion. A final decision on the matter is not expected until some time in the next two months.

Responding to the news, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumerissued a joint statementsaying overturning Roe v Wade would be “an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history”.

“If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years – not just on women but on all Americans,” they said.

“Every Republican Senator who supported Senator McConnell and voted for Trump Justices pretending that this day would never come will now have to explain themselves to the American people.”

Christie Roberts, Democratic senatorial campaign executive director, said: “If this report is true, this Republican attack on abortion access, birth control and women’s health care has dramatically escalated the stakes of the 2022 election.

“At this critical moment, we must protect and expand Democrats’ Senate majority with the power to confirm or reject supreme court justices.”

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