Joe Biden vows to protect abortion rights after Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade

After the US Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v Wade decision on Friday, US President Joe Biden pledged to take every step his administration can to protect abortion rights and called on voters to elect state and federal officials who will vote to allow the procedure.

President Biden termed the decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the Roe v Wade ruling and restore the right of states to restrict abortions as a sad day for the court and for the country.

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"It's a sad day for the court and for the country. This decision must not be the final word," President Biden said in his address. During his remarks at the White House on Friday, Biden at one point added, "It just stuns me" adding that poor women would be hit the hardest by the decision.

Biden called on Congress to take action to codify protections for abortions into federal law, stressing the importance of voters casting ballots in favour of pro-abortion candidates during elections this fall.

The US President called on Congress to restore abortion protections into law and pointed to the November midterm elections, saying, "this fall, Roe is on the ballot." He urged protests to be conducted peacefully and said violence is never acceptable. "This decision must not be the final word," Biden said.

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Biden stated that the decision by the top court removes a constitutional right from the Americans and moves the nation back 150 years. "The court literally is taking America back 150 years," he added.

The Supreme Court has struck down Roe v Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion, and ruled that states may regulate the practice of it. The decision was announced on Friday by a majority of conservative justices.