The nation, and the state of Florida react to the two-year anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
With Democrats on the offensive, Trump and Republicans offer muted response to Dobbs anniversary
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion. The ruling cleared the way for Republican-led states to implement restrictive abortion bans, leading to a patchwork of restrictions nationwide.
Former President Donald Trump — who appointed three of the justices who overturned Roe — and other Republican leaders hailed the decision loudly and proudly at the time, but have largely remained quiet two years later on the ruling’s anniversary as Democrats wield the fight over reproductive rights as a cudgel heading into the fall’s elections.
“Today’s decision, which is the biggest WIN for LIFE in a generation, along with other decisions that have been announced recently, were only made possible because I delivered everything as promised, including nominating and getting three highly respected and strong Constitutionalists confirmed to the United States Supreme Court. It was my great honor to do so!” Trump said in a statement at the time.
On Monday — as President Joe Biden’s campaign flooded the airwaves with ads and surrogates, held dozens of events across the country and swore that he “won’t stop until we restore the protections of Roe v. Wade for every woman in every state” — Trump and his campaign offered no public comment to mark the anniversary.
In a speech to a Christian conservative political group on Saturday, Trump took credit for appointing three of the justices who helped make up the majority in the Dobbs decision.
“I withstood vicious attacks to pick and confirm three great Supreme Court justices: Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Good people, too,” Trump said. “I took a lot of heat, a lot of hits, but we did the right thing.”
“Every voter has to go with your heart and do what's right. But we also have to get elected, because we have a lot of other things. We have to get elected. You have to be able to win. Like Ronald Reagan, I believe in exceptions for the life of the mother, rape and incest. Some people do. I think most people do, actually, but some people don't,” he added.
On Monday morning, Lara Trump, Trump's daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, laid out the organization's strategy for approaching the issue that polling suggests hurts the GOP's electoral hopes more than it helps.
“Donald Trump obviously nominated three Supreme Court justices to the bench who made the right decision and actually sent Roe v Wade out and said, ‘Listen, this is up to the states. It shouldn't be up to us,’” she said on Fox News’ Fox & Friends. “So every respective state gives we the people the opportunity to opine on such a major decision such as this. I think you're going to hear that from Donald Trump. It's what he has continued to say.”
“This is just about the only thing the Democrats think they can run on this election cycle. I think Donald Trump will have a great response for it, and I think that they're going to have to come up with better things to talk about,” she continued.
Staunchly anti-abortion rights Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., was similarly quiet on Monday, issuing no public statement despite describing the day of the Dobbs decision as “historic and joyful” two years prior when he was a low-level member of House GOP leadership. His office did not return a request for comment on Monday.
Some Republican lawmakers issued statements to mark the anniversary, though they were mostly backbenchers. The highest-ranking House member to comment, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., issued a statement memorializing the decision as correcting “a historic injustice” and swore Republicans “will not stop fighting until each and every unborn child is protected.” Senate GOP Policy Committee Chair Joni Ernst, the No. 4 Senate Republican, wrote on social media that “the Dobbs decision reflected the science, protected the unborn, and brought policymaking power back to the American people,” pledging that her party will “continue to stand up for life, families, and women!”
Late on Monday afternoon, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik wrote on social media that the Dobbs decision was "a significant victory in our fight to protect life" and that she will "continue to advocate for pro-life and pro-family policies that lift up babies, mothers, and families across our country."
No other member of House or Senate GOP leadership offered public comment or returned requests for comment, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, House GOP Policy Committee Chair Gary Palmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate GOP Whip John Thune, Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso, Senate GOP Conference Vice Chair Shelley Moore Capito and Senate GOP campaign chief Steve Daines.
Democratic campaigns are planning to run on abortion in key races, as they have to significant success since the 2022 decision. On Monday, Senate Democrats’ campaign operation launched ads on media outlets popular with women that lead to a website highlighting GOP Senate candidates positions on abortion policy. And House Democrats are deploying mobile billboards in five key House districts targeting sitting Republicans for their support of the Dobbs decision. Planned Parenthood announced they will spend $40 million through November boosting Biden and congressional Democrats.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Gary Peters of Michigan said in a statement that the fight over reproductive rights “will be a defining issue of the 2024 elections.” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York pledged that his caucus “will continue to fight until reproductive freedom is the law of the land and the extreme MAGA Republican effort to impose a nationwide abortion ban is crushed.”
Floridians Protecting Freedom talks Dobbs abortion ruling anniversary
Floridians Protecting Freedom, which collected nearly 1 million signatures to put an abortion rights amendment on the Florida ballot this November, says the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision two years ago has had a major impact on the state, which now has a six-week abortion ban.
"We are seeing individuals that are having to travel out of state, spending a lot of time and money to get care," said Floridians Protecting Freedom Communications Director Natasha Sutherland. "We see folks that are having to make a very difficult decision in maybe a day or two if they do meet the requirements of the new abortion ban in the state of Florida."
The campaign says it has raised $20 million in the 11 weeks since the Florida Supreme Court ruled Amendment 4 — which would enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution — could appear on the November ballot.
He said 72% of donations from April 1 to June 14 have been coming just from Florida.
"And so, for us, that's a significant number," Sutherland said. "We're very, very excited about that number and we're looking forward to raising more, because we do need to fund this effort at scale, like any other statewide campaign."
The amendment is opposed by anti-abortion rights groups like Susan B. Anthony pro-life America, which celebrated the Dobbs anniversary, saying:
“Two years after the Dobbs Supreme Court decision restored the right of the people and their elected representatives to protect unborn children from abortion, an estimated 200,902 lives are protected annually thanks to pro-life laws in 24 states.”
The Supreme Court is also expected to deliver a ruling soon on a case involving emergency abortions.
"I think depending on what happens either way, I think it'll continue to raise the salience of Amendment 4 and the importance of its passage, just like the anniversary of Dobbs, just like the near total abortion ban that was passed, and I think that people are watching," Sutherland said.
Amendment 4 needs the support of 60% of voters to be enacted.