MEMPHIS, Tenn.– With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the decision is expected to have an immediate impact in the Mid-South where states have trigger laws in effect.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe V. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights. As protests break out nationwide, leaders are weighing in about the impact of this decision.
“The court literally taking America back 150 years. This is a sad day for the country,” said President Joe Biden.
“Today Supreme Court decision in Dobbs was the most important pro-life ruling in American History,” said House minority leader Kevin McCarthy.
This ruling will now give individual states the power to set their own abortion laws which will impact tens of millions of women. It’s an outcome some historians did not think would happen.
Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi are among the 13 states that have trigger laws in place which would almost immediately ban abortions after the ruling. Steve Mulroy, a law professor at the University of Memphis believes other people’s rights could be in jeopardy with this ruling.
“What’s so striking about this is that the court normally respects precedence, and this is a normal departure from that norm,” Mulroy said. “This may not be the end. Conservatives’ justices are trying to hack away not only the right to abortions but the right to privacy at all and that could lead to some disturbing developments.”
In Tennessee, a bill is expected to go into effect which would ban abortions, with an exception to prevent the death of a pregnant woman. As of now, the bill does not have any exceptions for rape or incest.
Mulroy, who is running for Shelby County district attorney, said cases involving abortion would be a low priority for him.
“This is the kind of thing that a DA should put down at the very bottom of their priority list. We need to be focusing on carjackings and domestic violence and homicides and real crimes that really need to be prosecuted,” he said.
WREG did reach out to current District Attorney Amy Weirich who is running for re-election. In a statement, she told us in part, “it’s a dangerous path for a DA to make broad and a hypothetical statement without an actual charge or case before them.”
