Democrats quietly celebrated Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling upholding access to a common abortion drug and warned that the Trump-led Republican campaign against reproductive rights is far from over.
“This case, brought by Donald Trump’s allies, was just one tactic in a broader, brutal strategy to deny access to reproductive freedom across this country,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez told reporters shortly after the ruling a press call. “If Trump returns to power in November, Trump’s allies will be prepared to deploy their plans to ban access to abortion nationwide, without help from Congress or the courts.”
In a statement, President Joe Biden painted a bleak picture of women “being turned away from emergency rooms” and facing additional challenges accessing reproductive care, especially in states with blanket abortion bans.
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a collection of anti-abortion doctors and groups lacked standing to challenge decisions made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ease access to the drug mifepristone. This measure is the court’s first ruling on abortion since it was overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 – essentially allowed the Supreme Court to sidestep the issue and disappointed abortion opponents.
Democrats may be happy with the news that the abortion pill is still widely available to the public, but it does eliminate the possibility of the Supreme Court making another unpopular ruling in an election year. The Dobbs The decision is credited with powering Democratic victories, and Thursday’s ruling eliminates the potential for a new motivational flashpoint for voters who view abortion access as a top issue.
But that won’t stop Democrats from making abortion a campaign issue. Chavez Rodriguez added that Biden plans to focus on reproductive rights during his debate with the former president at the end of this month.
“We are going to remind Americans of all that is at stake for reproductive freedom, not just today, but during the debate, and every day leading up to the election,” Chavez Rodriguez said. “President Biden is going to make Donald Trump accountable for the state of reproductive rights in this country.”
Earlier in the day, Trump met with Republicans on Capitol Hill and urged them to consider abortion as a matter of states’ rights.
“The Supreme Court ruled unanimously 9-0. The matter has been settled,” Trump senior adviser Danielle Alvarez wrote in a statement to POLITICO. “This election is about correcting the weakness, failures and dishonesty of the Biden crime family.”
Thursday’s ruling also led to a wave of Democratic lawmakers and governors complaining about their fears of continued threats to access to abortion medicine. In remarks on the Senate floor, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that while he was relieved by the ruling, “no one” should celebrate it — especially because of the way it was decided.
“Let’s remember: this decision was not based on the merits, but on the lack of support – we are not out of the woods yet,” said Schumer, who along with other Senate Democrats led the vote on Thursday a bill that would guarantee access to in vitro fertilization across the country. Senate Republicans blocked the bill.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), who is locked in a tough reelection race against GOP businessman Dave McCormick, warned in a statement that “extreme politicians” would continue pushing for a national abortion ban and repealing the right to contraception. Casey pressed McCormick on abortion during the campaign; the Republican opponent has said he is pro-life, with exceptions, and would not support a national abortion ban.
While emphasizing that mifepristone remains available in states where abortion is legal, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) wrote on X that threats against medication abortion under Trump and Republicans “have not gone away.” Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision, but warned in a post on
“We will fight back,” Durbin wrote.
Several blue state governors also expressed concern. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker — who personally funds a nonprofit that seeks to protect access to abortion at the state level through ballot initiatives — described the ruling as a limited victory in a broader battle that requires voters to adopt “MAGA- extremists’ from seizing power and moving forward. restricting abortion rights. New York Governor Kathy Hochul pledged in a statement that her state would remain a “safe haven for reproductive freedom.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, who signed an amicus brief with 21 other state officials urging the court to protect access to abortion drugs, told reporters: “There is no comfort in this decision.”
Kelly Garrity contributed to this report.
