The US Supreme Court has come under heavy scrutiny as well as intense backlash from the public following its decision to essentially overturn the Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion in the country. With calls for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade into law, vice president Kamala Harris said Democrats believed that Roe v. Wade was a settled issue when she was pressed on why Congress failed to codify the decision.
Speaking with Robert Costa on CBS News, Harris was pressed on why Congress has not codified Roe v. Wade into law for the last 50 years. Harris said Democrats believed that Roe v. Wade was already a settled issue, at least until the Conservative-majority Supreme Court overturned the ruling last month.
“We certainly believed that certain issues are just settled,” said Harris, adding that the fact that the precedent settled by Roe v. Wade was otherwise, showed that people are now living in “unsettled times.”
“I think all of us share a deep sense of outrage that the United States Supreme Court took a constitutional right that was recognized, took it from the women of America,” said Harris. “We are now looking at a case where the government can interfere in what is one of the most intimate and private decisions that someone can make.”
Harris also said Congress must pass legislation that would protect abortion rights on a federal scale. Harris also referred to the recent executive order signed by President Joe Biden that would take steps to protect access to abortion services. Despite the executive order, Biden stressed that Congress ultimately has complete control over the issue.
Harris also urged the public to elect more pro-choice candidates, especially as the midterm elections are set to take place in November. The upcoming midterm elections are shaping to be an important race as the elections would determine which party has control of one or both chambers of Congress.
Harris added that the down-ballot level races at the local level would also play a part in restoring abortion rights in parts of the country.
At least nine states in the US have already banned abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision.