Minnesota governor issues protective order for those traveling from out of state for an abortion
From CNN’s Hannah Sarisohn
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks during a press conference on April 19, 2021 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Minnesota’s governor issued an executive order Saturday providing protections for people coming to Minnesota for reproductive healthcare from states where abortion is illegal or criminalized, according to a release from Gov. Tim Walz’s office.
With the executive order, Walz joined fellow Democratic governors who hurriedly took legislative or legal action in response to the US Supreme Court’s overruling of Roe v. Wade, CNN has reported.
Several other states also had “trigger bans,” which either totally or partially restricted abortion access automatically with the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade.
In the release, Walz said his office will protect people from such states who are traveling to Minnesota for an abortion “to the fullest extent of their lawful authority.”
Walz’s executive order also directs state agencies to work to protect Minnesotans providing, seeking or obtaining lawful reproductive health care services, according to the release.
“My office has been and will continue to be a firewall against legislation that would reverse reproductive freedom,” said Walz. “This order shows our administration’s commitment to protecting patients and health care providers. Our administration is doing everything we can to protect individuals’ right to make their own health care decisions.”
According to the release, the order is effective immediately.
CNN’s Kate Conerly contributed to this report
1:48 p.m. ET, June 25, 2022
Dashing progressive hopes, White House says Biden opposed to court expansion and cool on ending filibuster
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
President Biden does not favor expanding the Supreme Court and hasn't changed his stance on eliminating the filibuster, the White House said Saturday, throwing cold water on steps some liberal Democrats have called for in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling stripping the nationwide right to abortion.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. (Susan Walsh/AP)
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden does not agree with calls for court expansion, affirming the stance the President held as a candidate remains in place, even as he's skirted the issue more recently.
"That is something that the President does not agree with. That is not something that he wants to do," Jean-Pierre said. "There was a commission that was put together about how to potentially move forward with the court, reform the court. I don't have anything more to share from any final decision that the President has made."
While running for president, Biden said he was "not a fan" of expanding the court. Later, he deferred to a commission he established to examine various options for court reform.
The commission issued a final report in December, but it doesn't contain any recommendations, only analysis of various options. And Biden has not signaled any intent to act on the ideas since then.
That will prove disappointing to activists, who have renewed calls for expanding the court in the wake of Friday's decision.
Similarly, Jean-Pierre offered little indication Biden had altered his stance on eliminating the filibuster — even if the Senate gained more Democrats who favor those steps.
"I don't think the filibuster will play a role there," she said, suggesting instead that electing more Democratic members to Congress was the principal objective.
"I hear your point about the filibuster, but if we're able to, if Americans are able to use their voice at the ballot box, bring in more members into Congress that support this issue, then there is movement that we can make. There is a way that we can restore Roe and that is the most important thing that we can do," she said.
Biden has opposed an outright elimination of the legislative filibuster, but has backed certain reforms. But even some Democrats have opposed changes, making any type of reform unlikely.
1:51 p.m. ET, June 25, 2022
Biden will "continue to find solutions" to ensure abortion rights, according to White House
From CNN's DJ Judd
President Joe Biden arrives to speak at the White House on Friday after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Andrew Harnik/AP)
President Joe Biden “is going to continue to find solutions” to ensure abortion rights, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Saturday, though she declined to offer details on potential executive actions the administration is weighing to do so.
"There’s been a lot of urgency from this President and from this White House on the next steps of this, especially now that we know that the decision was made yesterday,” Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling on Air Force One Saturday, highlighting “powerful, passionate remarks” from Biden at the White House Friday.
The press secretary cited two “concrete steps” from the White House immediately following Friday’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, highlighting the administration’s move to guarantee access to abortion pills and defend the right of a woman to travel to another state to receive an abortion if the procedure is outlawed in her home state.
“Those two are very concrete, big steps. I know that’s using his executive authority, I know people are asking about executive actions,” Jean Pierre said. “The President is going to continue to find solutions, he’s going to continue to talk to leading groups, he’s going to continue to talk to legal experts on what he can do from his own executive perch, if you will, and so that conversation’s going to continue to happen; that’s not going to stop.”
Biden earlier Saturday called the SCOTUS decision "painful and devastating," adding that the Supreme Court has made "some terrible decisions."
1:16 p.m. ET, June 25, 2022
Person injured by vehicle after "verbal confrontations" during Roe v. Wade protests in Iowa, police say
From CNN’s Rebekah Riess
(From Isacc Davis)
A pedestrian was injured by a truck while trying to legally cross the street in front of the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, during Friday evening’s Roe v. Wade protests in the city, according to Cedar Rapids Police.
Video of the incident shows a truck appearing to push through a group of protesters, with one person falling to the ground after making contact with the vehicle.
Police said a preliminary investigation showed a group of protesters was “attempting to legally cross the street” in front of the courthouse around 7:17 p.m. local time, when the traffic light changed, giving the intersection’s right of way to vehicles.
Police said “verbal confrontations” took place between the protesters and a driver, and “contact was made” between the vehicle and one of the protesters. Cedar Rapids Police responded to the scene.
The injured pedestrian was interviewed by officers on-scene and then taken to a local hospital for evaluation in a private car. According to police, the protester appeared to have minor injuries.
The driver of the vehicle was also “voluntarily interviewed” by law enforcement, police said.
Cedar Rapids police are working to obtain any potential surveillance video of the incident, and more information will be made available when possible, the release said. So far, no one has been arrested in connection with this incident.
“Cedar Rapids is a city with a diverse population and many viewpoints. Today’s Supreme Court decision is likely to elicit strong opinions. What we must do as a city is come together, especially in times like these,” Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said in a statement provided to CNN affiliate KCRG in response to the incident. “The Cedar Rapids Police Department is conducting a thorough investigation into tonight’s incident. We all have a right to our opinions, but we must act in a peaceful and respectful manner.”
Protests surrounding the SCOTUS decision have been largely peaceful.
11:36 a.m. ET, June 25, 2022
How front pages covered the historic Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade
Here's a look at how news organizations across the US covered the Supreme Court's decision overturning Roe v. Wade — including those from states with immediate "trigger bans" like Kentucky and Louisiana — as seen on front pages this morning.
11:34 a.m. ET, June 25, 2022
In Arizona, several abortion providers preemptively pause services
From CNN's Alta Spells and Natasha Chen
Several abortion providers in Arizona — Family Planning Associates, Planned Parenthood Arizona, and Tucson Choices — said they have preemptively paused abortion services due to a lack of legal clarity, according to posts on their websites.
Dr. DeShawn Taylor, who operates Desert Star Family Planning in Phoenix, said her clinic had to cancel about 20 abortion appointments originally scheduled for today through next week.
“We’re committed to keeping our doors open if we can, to be able to provide abortion care, once it’s safe to do so. I believe we’ll be in some dark times for a while, hopefully for not too long, but I do believe the pendulum will swing back,” she said.
Arizona does not have a "trigger ban" but does have a ban on abortions past 15 weeks set to take effect in approximately 90 days. Meanwhile, the Arizona State Senate Republican Caucus issued a memo today, stating effective immediately, Arizona is to enforce “pre-Roe law. The law, already on the books, bans most abortions, unless the procedure is necessary to save the life of a mother.”
This pre-Roe law was first created in 1901 before Arizona statehood and was updated last year. It states anyone with intent to procure the miscarriage of a woman, “unless it is necessary to save her life, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not less than two years nor more than five years.”
Brittni Thomason, spokesperson for the Arizona Attorney General’s office, gave CNN a statement, saying: “We understand this is an important issue for so many people, and they are seeking clarity.”
The Arizona governor’s office declined to comment.
“I’m surprised at how heartbroken I feel when I knew it in my bones” the ruling would be coming, Taylor said.
She said she hopes not only to secure women’s right to an abortion but to secure real and meaningful access to abortions in Arizona, where there are a handful of clinics providing such services, mostly in urban areas.
1:16 p.m. ET, June 25, 2022
"Chaos" at last abortion clinic in Mississippi, which has vowed to stay open for next few days
From CNN's Alta Spells and Natasha Chen
An anti-abortion protester holds a sign from outside at the Jackson Women’s Health Organization also known as the The Pink House in Jackson, Mississippi on June 7, 2022. (Erin Clark/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)
The owner of the only abortion clinic in the state of Mississippi vowed at a news conference Friday afternoon to stay open and continue providing services for women for the following 10 days, hours after the US Supreme Court issued a ruling eliminating the constitutional right to abortion nationwide.
“We are continuing to provide services, and women like me, and there are many throughout this country, will be doing the same thing. And I tell you today we’re not laying down. We’re not giving up,” said Diane Derzis, owner of Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Under the laws of Mississippi, the abortion ban triggered by today’s Supreme Court decision will go into effect 10 days after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch certifies the decision. Fitch has not announced plans for certification.
“So that means that we will be open for the next 10 days and we’ll be seeing patients for the next 10 days. Even if they have to do what they’ve done so often and that’s come through this kind of terrorism,” said Derzis, referring to anti-abortion activists who have frequently gathered near the clinic. “I will tell you that any patient who contacts us, we’ll see them. We’ll make sure we see them during that 10 days,” said Derzis. “A woman should not have to leave the state to obtain medical care.”
Starting at about 4 a.m. local time on Saturday, anti-abortion activists started showing up at the clinic, according to CNN's Nadia Romero.
"Things got really loud, really got carried away. The police were called," she reported, adding that the situation has since calmed down.
"They let women inside of the facility hours before they technically opened because there was so much chaos going on outside," she reported.
Clinic volunteer Kim Gibson told Romero that the staff will continue to "put the patient first ... in the face of some really monstrous protesters."
Romero said the lobby inside was packed on Saturday.
Once the Mississippi clinic is forced to close its doors, Derzis said they plan to continue to help women find the services they need.
“It’s funding all over the country. So we know how to put her in touch with those individuals and figure out which is the closest clinic you know, there’ll be women who are able to afford a plane ticket and if they can hop on a plane and get into Las Cruces, or Baltimore, Maryland or wherever, Chicago, Illinois, then that wherever is the easiest to get her in because her needs have to come first,” Derzis said.
Derzis and her team have begun plans to open a new clinic in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where they will continue to provide services.
Watch what happened outside the Mississippi clinic on Saturday morning.
These are the states where "trigger bans" are already in effect
From CNN's Tierney Sneed
Now that the Supreme Court has given the green light for lawmakers to prohibit abortion, several states, most of them Republican-led, have taken quick steps to do so. In at least seven states, state officials say that abortion bans can now be enforced.
Three states – Kentucky, Louisiana and South Dakota – have so-called “trigger bans” that went into effect automatically with the Supreme Court’s reversal Friday of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that had established a constitutional right to an abortion. Ten other states have trigger bans with implementation mechanisms that occur after a set period or after a step taken by a state government entity.
Among the trigger-ban states in the latter category, Missouri has already made the move required to implement its ban on abortion, with state Attorney General Eric Schmitt announcing Friday that he had taken the step of certification laid out by Missouri law.
Oklahoma, which had recently put in place a law banning most abortions, has also taken the step of implementing its trigger ban, according to the state attorney general’s office. Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge also certified the state’s trigger ban, allowing it take effect on Friday, Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced.
In Texas, where the trigger ban is to be implemented on the 30th day after the Supreme Court issues its judgment (a court move that will happen in the coming weeks), Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced that local prosecutors may now begin enforcing an abortion ban passed by the state before the Roe ruling.
See how Alito's majority opinion compares to the leaked draft version
Now that we have the final ruling in the most consequential Supreme Court decision in decades — Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization — one big question is: How has Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion changed compared to the leaked draft published by Politico?
CNN ran a character-by-character comparison between the finalruling and Alito’s leakeddraftversion, which was dated Feb. 10. Overall, most of the leaked draft remained as written in the final ruling. While some parts were taken out, Alito’s opinion added more to the final ruling — including a critique of the dissenting opinions — than he removed.
