Following the overturning of Roe vs Wade, Justice Clarence Thomas has argued for contraception access, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage to be reconsidered
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY WIKI COMMONS/UNSPLASH
Back in May, when the news was leaked that the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) planned to overturn Roe vs Wade, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez warned that SCOTUS would come for same-sex marriage and civil rights next.
Unfortunately, in a horrifying historical moment, on 24 June the Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling that legalised abortion nationwide. This decision will pave the way for half the country to restrict or completely ban access to safe abortions.
Justice Clarence Thomas has called for SCOTUS to take aim at various other constitutional rights such as contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. In his concurring opinion to the ruling, he wrote: “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.”
Griswold v. Connecticut, established a married couple’s right to use contraception without interference from the government. Lawrence v. Texas ruled that states could not criminalise sodomy and Obergefell v. Hodge established the right for same-sex couples to marry.
Jim Obergefell, one of the plaintiffs in the Obergefell v. Hodge case, told People magazine: “Clarence Thomas is a Supreme Court justice appointed by humans, he is not the Supreme Deity. The millions of loving couples who have the right to marriage equality to form their own families do not need Clarence Thomas imposing his individual twisted morality upon them. If you want to see an error in judgment, Clarence Thomas, look in the mirror.”
It is truly saddening that the fears of many US citizens are now appearing to become a reality. As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poignantly stated when addressing the overturning of Roe vs Wade: “To all of those who are watching today’s events unfold in fear, in anger, in rage, in depression, and in anxiety, one thing remains steady: we will not stop fighting until this is fixed.”
“To all of those who are watching today’s events unfold in fear, in anger, in rage, in depression, and in anxiety, one thing remains steady: we will not stop fighting until this is fixed.
— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) June 24, 2022
And I say that to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle: We are not going away.” pic.twitter.com/EPDHmcPTgF
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