MOLINE, Ill. — In the morning hours of Friday, June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization that effectively overturns federal protections for abortion set in place by the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade court case.
Thirteen states have laws in place that ban abortion in the event that Roe is overturned, and six have near-total bans or limits after six weeks of pregnancy, which is before many women know they're pregnant. It's likely that Iowa could ban abortions in the future.
Here's how top lawmakers for Iowa and Illinois have reacted to the court's monumental decision.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called the General Assembly into a special session in the coming weeks to act to “further enshrine (Illinois’) commitment to reproducing health care rights and protections,” according to a statement released Friday.
He also emphasized the state’s commitment to keeping reproductive health care accessible. His statement reads, in part:
"In Illinois, we’ve planned for this terrible day, an enormous step backward and a shattering loss of rights. We passed the Reproductive Health Act, enshrining choice as the law of the land in Illinois. We removed the trigger law that would have prohibited abortion in Illinois with the overturning of Roe v Wade. We expanded health care so that finances are not a barrier to receiving reproductive care.
"In Illinois, we are a state committed to expanding access to reproductive health care including abortion care, contraception access, fertility treatment and gender-affirming care. We’ve made it clear that we trust people to make the best decisions for themselves about their own reproductive health."
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds released the following statement in support of the Supreme Court’s decision:
"The Supreme Court’s greatest moments have come when it allows America to embody more perfectly the enduring truth on which it was founded: that all human beings, without exception, are created equal.
"By that measure, today’s historic decision is clearly one such moment. But the fight for life is not over. As Governor, I won’t rest until every unborn Iowan is protected and respected."
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) released a brief statement via Twitter in favor of the decision, saying it will "save countless lives."
U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos
In a statement released Friday morning by U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-Illinois), Bustos said the decision puts medical privacy in jeopardy. The statement reads, in part:
"As a mother, a grandmother and a Catholic, I am gutted by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Make no mistake – this ruling will cost lives and livelihoods, and its impact will be felt for generations to come.
"The U.S. Supreme Court does not belong in our doctors’ offices, and this attack on personal freedom is a radical departure from what has been accepted as the ‘law of the land’ for half a century."
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks
U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) released the following statement in support of the Supreme Court's decision:
"Today, the Supreme Court made the important decision to allow individual states to be able to uphold the sanctity of life and protect the unborn. As a doctor, I believe that every life is precious and I have always and will always vote in support of protecting life and the unborn.
"Just as I did when I was a State Senator, I will continue to work to ensure women have access to affordable contraceptives, quality maternal care, and provide support and increase awareness to adoption services."
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released a statement Friday morning regarding the repeal. It reads, in part:
"For many Americans, including myself, this decision is about far more than correcting a flawed legal analysis in Roe; it means that the rights of the unborn are no longer in jeopardy by our federal government.
"… This ruling does not ban the practice of abortion but instead empowers the people, through their accountable elected representatives to make commonsense policy decisions. It takes policymaking out of the hands of unelected judges."
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) released the following statement Friday against the Court’s decision:
"Today’s decision eliminates a federally protected constitutional right that has been the law for nearly half a century. As a result, millions of Americans are waking up in a country where they have fewer rights than their parents and grandparents.
"The bottom line: on critical, personal choices involving a woman’s right to make reproductive decisions about her own body, do you trust her or the government? The Supreme Court now says a woman’s right to privacy does not extend to the most personal, private choice she will ever face.
"… I will keep fighting to enshrine into law a woman’s right to make her own reproductive choices. We cannot let our children inherit a nation that is less free and more dangerous than the one their parents grew up in."
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) issued a brief statement Friday in favor of the Court's repeal, saying the decision "reflects the science, will save lives and rightly returns policymaking power back to the American people and their elected officials."
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth
U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois) released a statement calling the Supreme Court’s decision both “dangerous and “outrageous.” It reads, in part:
"I am outraged and horrified—this outcome is a nightmare that robs women of their right to make their own choices about their healthcare and their bodies, and it paves the way for a nationwide abortion ban that Republicans have been seeking for decades. Millions of American families—including my own—have relied on Roe v. Wade for almost 50 years, and 70% of Americans believe it should remain the law of the land.
"I refuse to let my daughters grow up in a world with fewer rights than I had. As Republicans continue their march toward a nationwide abortion ban, I will do everything in my power to ensure that Illinois remains a safe haven for all women seeking reproductive care … regardless of their skin color, zip code or income."
More on abortion rights in the U.S.: