Our live coverage has ended. Read more about today’s events in the posts below.
Vice President Kamala Harris said the Biden administration was not currently discussing using federal lands for abortion services in and around states that will ban the procedure, appearing to reject a growing request from Democratic lawmakers who are pressuring the administration to be more aggressive in its efforts to combat the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Pushed to clarify if those options the use of federal land, Harris said, “Not right now.”
“I mean, it’s not right now what we are discussing,” Harris said.?
A White House official told CNN after the interview that “the administration is looking at everything we can do to protect women’s rights.”?
In conversations with advocates since the draft leaked in May, the White House has heard a range of options to provide more protection to women, not all of which officials believe are tenable or would withstand legal scrutiny. For example, calls for Biden to allow abortion providers to work from federal property have raised concerns among some lawyers. And providing federal funding for women to travel out of state has the potential of running afoul of the Hyde Amendment, the law that prohibits federal funding of abortions in almost all cases.
A White House official on Monday made a similar argument, saying, “While this proposal is well-intentioned, it could put women and providers at risk. And importantly, in states where abortion is now illegal, women and providers who are not federal employees could be potentially be prosecuted.”?
Vice President Kamala Harris predicted Americans will see more of their rights at risk, telling CNN’s Dana Bash that Justice Clarence Thomas, “said the quiet part out loud,” when he called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its rulings striking down state restrictions on contraceptives, state sodomy bans and state prohibitions on same sex marriage in a concurring opinion.?
The vice president argued that the discussion of abortion has been driven largely by politics instead of what she said is at the core — freedom, liberty and the right to privacy.
Harris noted that many states are set to ban abortion outright, even in cases of incest and rape.?
“As a former prosecutor who specialized in crimes of violence against women and girls, in particular child sexual assault, and rape, the idea that after a woman has endured such violence to her body, that she would not have the freedom and authority to decide whether she wanted to continue with a pregnancy that is a result of an act of violence is absolutely unthinkable,” Harris said.?
The vice president has sought to shed light on the wider ramifications of Roe v. Wade being overturned, in the weeks after the draft opinion leaked. In meetings, Harris has heard from privacy experts about how law enforcement could use period tracking apps to monitor for abortions and the possibility that embryo destruction could become more difficult for those who have in vitro fertilization.
See Vice President Kamala Harris’ reaction to the concurring opinion authored by Justice Thomas:
Vice President Kamala Harris said in an exclusive CNN interview on Monday that she “was shocked” when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
Harris was flying on Air Force Two from Washington, DC, to Illinois to unveil the Biden administration’s latest strategy to improve maternal health in the US Friday when the decision came down. Her official account?tweeted a photo?of the vice president watching the decision unfold on CNN, appearing to be in disbelief.?
“I just actually turned to CNN and I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “Because they actually did it.”
Harris slammed the conservative leaning Supreme Court for taking away “a constitutional right that has been recognized for half a century and took it from the women of America. That’s shocking.”
The vice president has assumed a leading role on abortion in the Biden administration since a draft decision leaked this spring showing the court was poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.?
And on Monday, the first female vice president elected to the role in the US, said she was thinking about the impact of the ruling in personal terms.
“I thought about it as you know a parent,” Harris said, referring to her stepchildren Cole and Emma Emhoff.?
“I thought about it as a godparent of teenagers. I thought of it as an aunt of preschool children,” Harris said.?“And a woman myself, and the daughter of a woman and a granddaughter of a woman.”
Harris said she thought about how her 23-year-old daughter will not know the same rights as her 80-year-old mother in law. And she beckoned those who are the parents of sons to realize how this decision will impact them.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to her House Democratic colleagues on Monday that outlines legislation they are looking at in light of Roe v. Wade being overturned.
Pelosi said the caucus “has been exploring avenues to protect the health and freedom of American women.”
Among the options, she writes, is legislation that:
Pelosi also noted in the letter that it is “essential that we protect and expand our pro-choice Majorities in the House and Senate in November so that we can eliminate the filibuster so that we can restore women’s fundamental rights – and freedom for every American.”
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that “many voices” at the G7 summit were left “very sad and very worried” by the US Supreme Court decision to reverse Roe vs. Wade.?
Von der Leyen, the only woman leader at the G7 leadership meetings taking place in Germany, called the decision a “setback.”?
Watch European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen react to the US Supreme Court’s abortion decision:
A Louisiana judge has blocked the state’s “trigger” law on abortions — which took effect on Friday —?just days after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade.??
Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge Robin Giarrusso issued the temporary restraining order in response to a lawsuit filed Monday morning by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Boies Schiller Flexner LLP on behalf of?Hope Medical Group for Women and Medical Students for Choice.
The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of Hope Medical Group for Women in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Medical Students for Choice, argued that the trigger bans are unconstitutionally vague.?
The temporary restraining order prohibits the state’s Attorney General and Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health from enforcing or implementing the trigger ban legislation for now until a hearing scheduled for July 8.?
CNN is continuing to read through the 22-page petition for more details.?
Republican Gov. Charlie Baker is encouraging companies across the US to either move to Massachusetts or expand their business in the state, following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Baker said that from the time the draft decision was leaked until the ultimate decision was made public, the goal was to “come up with a plan to keep providers here in Massachusetts safe and would provide relief to people from other states who came here seeking those services as well.”
Baker, who said he was disappointed with the Supreme Court’s decision, issued an emergency order Friday “to protect access to reproductive health care services in the Commonwealth,” he?said in a tweet.??
Traffic to the website Hey Jane, an organization that provides medication abortion in some states through telehealth, grew almost 10 times and patient demand has more than doubled following the US Supreme Court decision to end the nationwide right to abortion, according to CEO Kiki Freedman.?
Hey Jane serves people in New York, California, Washington, Illinois, Colorado and New Mexico. Patients who are medically eligible and at least 18 years old can get the pills up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy. To get the pills, patients consult with a licensed medical provider through secure text chat. Hey Jane also offers a phone or video visit as well, but it is not required. After the consultation, the pills arrive in the mail in an unmarked box.
Medication abortion, also known as abortion with pills or medical abortion, is a method by which someone ends their pregnancy by taking two pills, rather than having a surgical procedure.
Twenty two attorneys general reaffirmed their commitment to expanding access to abortion care in their states in a joint statement issued Monday.
The coalition – comprised of the attorneys general of New York California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington – said that “when it comes to abortion care, it’s your body and your right to choose.”
“Nobody else gets to make those decisions,” the statement added.
The officials said “broad access to abortion remains protected in states that recognize reproductive freedom,” including in their states.
“Those harms will fall disproportionately on people of color and people with fewer resources, further perpetuating our nation’s historical inequities,” they continued.
After the Supreme Court ruled on Friday to?overturn Roe v. Wade, corporate giants from a range of industries pledged to provide support and financial assistance for employees — and, in some cases, their?dependents — seeking abortions in states that outlaw the procedure.
The court’s ruling could force millions of people?seeking abortions?to travel across state lines to access the procedure, adding to the cost of an already often expensive healthcare service. For many, employers’ benefit packages may be the only way they can afford an abortion.
Companies such as?Citigroup,?Salesforce?and?Match Group?first promised financial support?to employees seeking abortions in affected states after a?draft version of the opinion leaked in May. Many more followed suit on Friday.
Corporate America is increasingly being drawn from the political sidelines on the abortion issue in response to pressure from investors, customers and employees. Companies are also struggling to attract and retain talent, and?worry about the impact?these states’ anti-abortion laws could have on their workers.
Here are some of the prominent companies offering expanded assistance to staff in states curtailing abortion care.
CNN’s Brian Fung, Vanessa Yurkevich, Allison Morrow, Sara O’Brien, Rachel Solomon and Ramishah Maruf contributed to this report.
The Biden administration is firing back amid intensifying Republican-led efforts to legislate and implement a nationwide abortion ban at 15 weeks following the Supreme Court’s historic decision to overturn Roe v. Wade — the White House framing that push as a GOP effort to take away women’s rights.
After the Supreme Court overturned the landmark women’s reproductive health bill and upheld the Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks, some House Republicans who oppose abortion rights?are pushing legislation to implement a nationwide abortion ban?at 15 weeks.?
Such legislation does not currently have the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the Senate, but the push for such a ban is a notable effort given that Republicans have a strong chance to take back control of the House in this year’s midterms. House Minority Leader Kevin?McCarthy?expressed support for the idea on Friday, and former Vice President Mike Pence commended the court in a statement and also lent his support to enacting a 15-week ban across the country.
White House Gender Policy Council director Jen Klein lambasted such efforts Monday.
“Already Vice President Pence and GOP Leader McCarthy have announced their support for a nationwide ban on abortion, passed by Congress. No woman in any state – no matter how pro-choice that state – would have the right to choose.?Abortion would be illegal everywhere. The ultra-MAGA agenda on choice has never been about ‘states’ rights.’ This has always been about taking away women’s rights, in every single state,” Klein said in a statement provided exclusively to CNN.??
As President Joe Biden and other top officials have called on Americans to make their voices heard at the ballot box in November, Klein framed the choice in stark terms, offering a preview of White House messaging on the matter.?
“So let’s be clear, this goes one of two ways: We either have a House and Senate that puts Roe into federal law or a House and Senate that push ultra-MAGA policies that strip women of their rights in all 50 states. Congress will either protect women everywhere or strip away their rights everywhere,” she said.?
Klein has been among the White House officials leading the White House response to the Supreme Court ruling, forming an interagency working group and shaping the administration’s outreach to key stakeholder groups. While Biden is traveling abroad to key summits this week, Klein will be among top administration officials’ efforts to speak publicly in the aftermath of the ruling this week.
The sharpened language comes as Biden has begun drawing contrasts in his midterm messaging, going after the “ultra-MAGA agenda” of the right compared to his policies. The President has outlined steps his administration is taking at the federal level as the White House continues to field pressure from Democrats to do more.
“This decision must not be the final word,” Biden said in remarks from the foyer of the White House Friday. “My administration will use all of its appropriate lawful powers. Congress must act. And your vote? You can have the final word. This is not over.”
The steps he laid out in his remarks — expanding access to medication abortion and ensuring women are able to cross state lines to obtain abortions — had been a primary focus of his team after dozens of conversations with abortion rights advocates and experts over the past two months.
CNN’s Melanie Zanona, Manu Raju, and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.
Friday’s Supreme Court ruling allowed states to immediately begin setting their own abortion policy, leaving people across the country with varying levels of access.
Nine states now have outright bans on abortions, with varying exceptions or none at all. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin.
Friday’s Supreme Court ruling allowed states to immediately begin setting their own abortion policy, leaving people across the country with varying levels of access.
Nine states now have outright bans on abortions, with varying exceptions or none at all. They are: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Wisconsin.
In Ohio, a six-week ban went into effect went into effect following the Supreme Court decision Friday. A six-week ban in Texas?went into effect?last year.
States with abortion bans expected to take effect in the coming days and weeks include Wyoming, Mississippi, Tennessee and Idaho.
In Arizona, where abortion providers began canceling appointments immediately following Friday’s ruling, the state Senate Republican Caucus issued a memo demanding the state immediately enforce the pre-Roe law, which bans most abortions unless the procedure is necessary to save the life of a mother.
State leaders in Utah are already facing legal action after the state moved quickly to ban most abortions following the Friday ruling.
Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit claiming the newly enacted law violates multiple civil liberties guaranteed in the state’s constitution, such as the right to determine family composition and equal protection, among others.
Performing an abortion in Utah under its ban is now a second-degree felony in nearly all cases, according to the lawsuit, which names the governor and the attorney general among the defendants.
The law allows for abortion if there is danger to the mother’s health, uniformly diagnosable health conditions detected in the fetus or when the mother’s pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
In the lawsuit, Planned Parenthood said the measure will have a disparate impact on women as opposed to men, and violates the right to bodily integrity, involuntary servitude, as well as the right to privacy.
“When the Act took effect, PPAU (Plaintiff Planned Parenthood Association of Utah) and its staff were forced to immediately stop performing abortions in Utah beyond those few that are permitted by the Act. If relief is granted in this case, PPAU’s health centers would resume providing abortions that would not qualify for any of the Act’s exceptions,” the lawsuit reads.
CNN has reached out to Gov. Spencer Cox’s office for comment on the lawsuit but did not receive a response Saturday. Attorney General Sean D. Reyes’ office told CNN it had no comment on the lawsuit.
A fourth day of demonstrations is?planned Monday?in several locations across the US following a weekend of packed protests decrying the loss of a nearly 50-year-old legal protection, while some gatherings celebrated the ruling.
At least 10 states have?effectively banned abortion?since Friday’s ruling, and in all, 26 states have laws indicating they could outlaw or set extreme limits on abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization which supports abortion rights.
Demonstrations against the ruling have been largely peaceful, but a few arrests have been reported.
Read more here.
Several states are working to protect abortion rights — and efforts were ramping up among Democratic leaders and lawmakers on Sunday — following the?US Supreme Court’s ruling?eliminating the federal constitutional right to an abortion, with?Saturday marking the first full day?without the nationwide protection in nearly 50 years.
The impact of Friday’s?historic ruling?that struck down a 1973 legal precedent known as Roe v. Wade was felt immediately, with at least 10 states effectively banning abortion as of Saturday night. Another five states are expected to enact varying trigger laws limiting abortion in the coming days and weeks, including Wyoming, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Idaho.
In all, 26 states have laws that indicate they could outlaw or set extreme limits on abortions, effectively banning the procedure in those states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
As some states move to restrict abortion rights, others are taking steps to better protect and expand abortion access and funding. Here are some of those states:
California: Gov. Gavin?Newsom on Friday signed a new law strengthening abortion rights in the state. California’s new law, passed by the state legislature on Thursday,?will create a protective shield against any potential civil action originating outside the state for anyone performing, assisting, or receiving an abortion in the state.?AB 1666 will protect not just California residents but anyone visiting the state seeking reproductive health care. The?new law is just one of more than a dozen bills making their way through the legislature, aiming to strengthen and protect abortion access. Other proposed bills would seek to focus on root causes of reproductive health inequities, enhance privacy protections, and allow qualified nurse practitioners to provide first-trimester abortions.
Minnesota: Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order Saturday providing protections for people who travel into the state for reproductive health care from states where abortion is illegal or criminalized, his office said. The announcement comes as Red River Women’s Clinic — the only clinic that performs abortions in neighboring North Dakota — is preparing to?move its services?to Minnesota.
Washington: Gov. Jay Inslee promised to create a “sanctuary state” for reproductive choice for people across the country. In doing so, Inslee announced an upcoming executive order that will direct state police not to comply with extradition efforts from other states seeking to penalize those who travel to Washington to receive an abortion. He didn’t specify when the executive order will be released and or when it will take effect.
Wisconsin: Democratic Gov. Tony Evers?vowed?to “fight this decision in every way we can with every power we have,” after his Republican-controlled state legislature declined to repeal the state’s 1849 law banning abortion, which is taking effect again following the Supreme Court ruling. “Our office is reviewing today’s decision and will be providing further information about how we intend to move forward next week,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said in a statement Friday.
CNN’s Cheri Mossburg contributed reporting to this post.