Florida elected officials and politicians react to SCOTUS overturning Roe v. Wade

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. Friday’s outcome with Dobbs v. Jackson is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

Here is a compilation of reactions to the ruling from Florida’s elected officials and politicians:

Gov. Ron DeSantis:

The prayers of millions have been answered. For nearly 50 years, the U.S. Supreme Court has prohibited virtually any meaningful pro-life protection, but this was not grounded in the text, history or structure of the Constitution. By properly interpreting the Constitution, the Dobbs majority has restored the people’s role in our republic and a sense of hope that every life counts.

Florida will continue to defend its recently enacted pro-life reforms against state challenges, will work to expand pro-life protections, and will stand for life by promoting adoption, foster care and child welfare.

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio:

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to allow states to regulate abortion was right constitutionally and morally.

For nearly half a century, a nation founded on God-given rights denied those rights to its most vulnerable citizens and more than 63 million Americans never got the chance to pursue their dreams.

But we must not only continue to take steps to protect the unborn, we must also do more to support mothers and their babies. I will soon introduce a bill to ensure we do everything we can to give every child the opportunity to fully access the promise of America.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis:

For far too long, federal abortion laws have been stuck in the past. With current scientific knowledge on the stages of human development, there can be no more excuses. Our laws must reflect these realities and be realigned to protect the unborn. With today’s ruling, SCOTUS has rightfully empowered states in this matter while realigning federal abortion policies with science. Despite the political push on the left and the fearmongering in the media, most Americans believe the concept of on-demand abortions available at any stage of pregnancy to be morally repugnant. The majority also do not want to see their tax dollars used to fund abortions. Yet, Democrats continue to push these radical, anti-life priorities. Democrats, not Republicans, are out of touch on this important issue. I agree with the majority of Americans who believe in empowering mothers and supporting the birth of healthy babies while offering viable options through pregnancy care centers and adoption agencies. As we embrace a culture of life, we recommit ourselves to protecting the most vulnerable among us.

U.S. Rep. Val Demings:

The decision to strike down Roe v. Wade is downright dangerous and tragic. I’m sick and tired of our basic, fundamental right to privacy being politicized. Because of today’s ruling, women will be forced to put their lives on the line, victims of rape and incest will be forced into pregnancy, and we cannot say we control our own bodies in this country. Our daughters and granddaughters have lost a right we fought so hard to protect. But let me be clear: Despite today’s decision, this fight is far from over. In the U.S. Senate, I will stand up, speak out, and relentlessly fight for a woman’s right to choose her own destiny. We refuse to go back to allowing our personal decisions be made by politicians like Marco Rubio who has obsessively fought to ban abortions, even in cases of rape and incest.

U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch:

Today, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to abortion. But the right to bodily autonomy is not just a constitutional right. It is a human right. This much is clear: even as the relentless attacks on Americans’ most personal, most basic rights continue, we will fight to protect women’s reproductive rights and safety. Now is not a time for panic, but a time for focused action in order to protect, uplift, and support one another. Our work continues, together.

U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart:

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States has applied sound constitutional principles to arrive at its opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.

SCOTUS overturned decades of wrongful jurisprudence based on the unfounded decision that the U.S. Constitution provides a right to abortion. Legal scholars of varying ideologies have questioned the faulty reasoning of the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade, such as Laurence Tribe, who stated, ‘One of the most curious things about Roe is that, behind its own verbal smokescreen, the substantive judgment on which it rests is nowhere to be found.’

As Justice Byron White wrote in his prescient dissent in Roe v. Wade, the majority opinion in Roe, ‘is an improvident and extravagant exercise of the power of judicial review…’ Justice White also stated, ‘this issue should be left with the people and to the political processes the people have devised to govern their affairs.

U.S. Rep. Carlos Giménez:

“The Supreme Court’s ultimate duty is to uphold the Constitution of the United States. Today, they did just that. Roe v. Wade was fundamentally wrong from the very beginning. Nowhere in the Constitution is the right to abortion declared, and as properly interpreted by the Tenth Amendment, those rights are guarded by the individual states. With this decision, abortion rights will now be properly decided by the people’s elected representatives in their respective state legislatures, the place where rights not enumerated in the Constitution ought to be debated and decided.

I applaud the Supreme Court for siding with the Constitution and not giving in to the social and political pressures that sought to influence our Court’s jurisprudence.”

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast:

I fought on battlefields to protect the innocent and uphold the Constitution — abortion does neither.  Our kids are the most innocent among us — at a year, at birth and before. This decision will protect millions of vulnerable, unborn babies, and that is a reason to celebrate.

U.S. Rep. Mike Waltz:

“Today’s decision by the Supreme Court to reverse Roe will save millions of innocent, unborn lives. The 1973 Roe v. Wade decision was based on outdated science and a flawed constitutional interpretation. Instead, today’s decision will allow states to determine their own abortion laws.

Modern science shows that babies in the womb have heartbeats and do, in fact, feel pain. The argument that children have no rights until after birth is flawed. This is ultimately a debate about when life begins and deserves protection. That debate should be settled by elected legislatures.

As a matter of comparison, the United States is one of only a handful of countries in the world that allow abortion on demand, comparable to authoritarian regimes such as China and North Korea. Even most European nations maintain some restrictions for abortions.

U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson:

Today marks a dark day in our history for women, girls, and families all over the nation with the overturning of Roe’s 50-year precedent. Let’s be clear about what abortion access means for our communities: for millions, it has meant the ability to make choices about their own bodies. That choice should be left to no one else but the individual who will bear the child. Not the state, not unelected judges, and certainly not male legislators who have never felt the joy, pain, and challenges that come with carrying a pregnancy to term.

The Roe decision extended a second chance for young women who were not yet ready to become mothers. It gave people of all social and economic statuses the ability and the agency to make those choices, regardless of which state they reside in. Today’s decision will not end abortion, but it will limit who has access to safe and legal abortions, placing a greater burden on Black and minority women, families, and caretakers.

While it seems that we’ve lost the battle, the war for reproductive freedoms is far from over. This is a setback to our greater goal of extending reproductive health access to every American, but there is a lot still at stake that we must protect. We need to ensure that birth control and emergency contraception remain available and accessible to everyone who needs it. We must continue to implore male reproductive care options so that the burden does not fall solely on women. We can expand reproductive education. And we should expand the Supreme Court to stop this tidal wave of delegitimizing decisions that go against the will and values of the American people.

Abortion is health care. Abortion is a human right. And that right must be protected.

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried:

This is a tragic day for women in America. The freedom to make our own choices about our lives, our bodies, and our healthcare is fundamental to our humanity. It’s absolutely devastating to have those rights taken away. It’s not an exaggeration to say that women and girls will die as a result of this decision. Women will now be forced to stay with abusive partners, to carry dangerous and unviable pregnancies to term, to be refused life-saving medical care, to seek out unsafe and illegal ways to have an abortion, to bear children conceived through rape and incest, and to endure a host of other indignities too varied and disturbing to describe. It will have a catastrophic effect on women’s economic prospects and participation in the workforce. It has and will be disastrous for our mental health. It’s cruel and inhumane, and it’s the result of Republicans’ years-long war on women and our rights.

In Florida, for now, we still have a provision in our state constitution that protects abortion rights — although that is in question as well. I promise that we will fight with everything we have to keep that from being overturned.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist:

Today’s Supreme Court decision to overturn nearly 50 years of progress by dismantling Roe v. Wade is shameful, harmful, and wrong. Without the protections of Roe, radical Republican governors and legislators, including those in Tallahassee, will now have the power to outlaw abortion entirely, regardless of the circumstances.

We cannot allow this attack on a woman’s constitutional right to privacy go unanswered. Congress and state governments must immediately step up and take action to protect a woman’s right to choose — because everyone should have full control over their body, life, and future.

State Senate President Wilton Simpson:

As an adopted child myself, I am grateful for this decision. The court is finally righting a grievous wrong.

It’s hard to believe we live in a country that has permitted the murder of 63 million innocent children over the last 50 years. Every abortion kills a human being made in the image and likeness of God who deserves the chance to grow up in a loving family.

I particularly like that the Court mentions, in outlining views of pro-life Americans, ‘a woman who puts her newborn up for adoption today has little reason to fear that the baby will not find a suitable home.’ That is certainly the case here in Florida. Florida is a state that values life. I have been proud to support pro-life, pro-family policies that not only protect innocent, unborn babies, but also support children, parents, and other caring adults willing to raise a child who is not their own.

State Senate President-designate Kathleen Passidomo:

I put a high value on life, and we’ve passed many measures in Florida to protect unborn life, promote adoption, and support parents who choose life for their babies.

I am grateful to see the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade. These defenders of the Constitution have given the states rights to do what is right. Here in Florida, we will continue to defend life.

State Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book:

Women’s rights were set back half a century today with the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. With this destructive and consequential ruling, women in 13 states across the country are immediately stripped of their right to bodily autonomy and self-determination — their rights gone in an instant. With Florida Republicans cruelly proving their appetite for robbing women and girls victimized by the horrific trauma of rape, incest, and human trafficking of their right to an abortion after 15 weeks — period, end of sentence, no exceptions — it is clearly only a matter of time before our state also debates an all-out abortion ban.

We are facing a future that terrifies me — one where my daughter, and women and girls everywhere, even survivors of sexual assault will be forced to carry unwanted pregnancies to term no matter the circumstances. The only thing standing between Floridians and that dangerously real dystopian future is for every single eligible voter to exercise their right at the ballot box. We the people must stand up, speak out, and VOTE as if our personal rights and freedoms depend on it — because they do.

State Sen. Shevrin Jones:

Today SIX people in Washington, D.C. stripped away abortion rights and bodily autonomy from MILLIONS of Americans, eroding 50 years of legal precedent. This is an incredibly dark day for our country — the criminalization of women and doctors is a heinous attack on all of us. Let’s be clear: politicians and the government have no place interfering in one’s personal healthcare decisions, or when it comes to when or how to start a family. This fight is far from over as Republican politicians here in Florida and nationwide continue their coordinated assault on our rights, with marriage equality, contraception, and other freedoms all on the chopping block. We cannot and must not take any of our rights for granted. Until my last breath, I will always fight for ALL people’s right to live safe, healthy, productive lives. It will take all hands on deck to get there, and I am confident there are more of us eager to work toward that vision than against it.

State Sen. Kelli Stargel:

Protecting the innocent children whose lives are ended through abortion was a defining issue for me as I made the decision to run for elected office. Today is a wonderful affirmation of the pro-life efforts of so many over the last 50 years, and I am incredibly grateful to the justices for their courage in speaking the truth in the face of tremendous adversity.

The so-called ‘right’ to murder an unborn child was entirely invented by the Roe decision and affirmed in the Casey decision, both of which were wrong from the start. Not only is abortion never mentioned in our Constitution, the opinion explains in great detail that history does not in any way support the pro-abortion lie that the ‘right’ to kill an unborn child is a liberty rooted in the history of this country or the common law. To the contrary, historical facts and writings cited by the court as well as modern scientific realities unequivocally support the fact that abortion is the taking of an innocent human life and a barbaric practice that has been repudiated throughout history.

The damage Roe has caused this country is profound. Unfortunately, laws and legal opinions cannot change hearts and minds influenced by decades of an anti-life culture. While we recognize the loss of 63 million innocent and irreplaceable children, we must also accept that the permissible killing of unborn children over three generations has caused serious damage to the social fabric of this country.

Informed by my own life experience with an unplanned teenage pregnancy, I know firsthand that all too often our culture condones and even promotes the murder of innocent children as a means to freedom and equality as a way to show empathy for women facing difficult or unplanned situations. In my view, as we move forward, our work to foster a culture that supports life, children, parents and families is even more important. It has been an honor for me to work with my colleagues on legislation to protect the innocent lives ended by abortion. I continue to pray for the lives lost and impacted by abortion and for the safety the justices and their families.

State Sen. Linda Stewart:

Unconscionable! SCOTUS’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is a direct assault on the fundamental rights and lives of women and will do nothing to stop abortions! For nearly 50 years, women have been able to make their own private healthcare decisions without interference from the government. It is a gross misuse of the justice system, and an egregious attack on the rights of all women.

I trust women to be able to make their own decisions in life. I have worked tirelessly to protect the rights of women, and our right to bodily autonomy. This terrible news will not sway my dedication to that cause, and makes it clear now more than ever how desperately we need to enshrine these rights in law. With the decision on outlawing abortion now left up to the states it is important for legislators across the country to remember that making abortion illegal does not stop abortion, it only stops safe abortion.

State House Speaker-designate Paul Renner:

Today’s U.S. Supreme Court decision rightfully returns the debate on protecting life back to the states where it belongs. The Florida Legislature has made significant strides towards protecting the unborn and will continue to pursue legislation that honors the sanctity of life.

State House Democratic Leader Evan Jenne:

History has shown us that abortions cannot be ended by legislation. All this will do is make it harder to get a safe, legal abortion, and lead to what we saw in decades past: women sick and dying because of unsafe, underground abortions.

The majority of Americans, and Floridians, want there to be access to abortion services. A loud minority has pushed its extremist agenda all the way to the Supreme Court, and millions will suffer because of it.

Choosing when and if to have a baby is one of the most important and personal decisions anyone can ever make. Access to family planning options like birth control and abortions are critically important and should be protected for all.

State House Democratic Leader-designate Fentrice Driskell:

Today’s decision by the Supreme Court is devastating but it is not surprising. The court, dominated by radically conservative justices, has just overturned the most significant piece of law protecting privacy and the health of women in our country. Today’s decision should concern every American. After today, women are less safe. After today, our Supreme Court is a political tool, not an impartial court of justice.

For Floridians, today’s decision ratifies the radical and dangerous legislation jammed through the state government by Republicans and clears the path for a full ban of all abortions in our state, without exceptions for rape or incest.

This is a major setback as we work to create a state and country where we all have the freedom to be healthy, prosperous and safe. But I am more determined than ever to fight.

State Rep. Robin Bartleman:

As someone who was faced with the decision to end a much wanted pregnancy, I can tell you it is a deeply personal and painful decision. The idea that women, including my daughters, will no longer have the ability to make decisions about their bodies is devastating. Extreme legislatures will ban ALL abortions. I can’t fathom a situation where a woman or child is raped and forced to carry a pregnancy, where the life of the mother is not taken into consideration. This is incomprehensible and sets a terrifying precedent.

State Rep. Kamia Brown:

Today is a historical day, and by that, I mean it is a day that sounds like it belongs in history and not the modern day. The Supreme Court’s dismantling of Roe v. Wade is not only upsetting, but unthinkable. This decision will not stop abortions, only make them harder, and in some cases more dangerous, to obtain.

At these abortion rights marches and rallies, I think of those iconic black and white photos of the marches in 1973 and think about how the only difference is that now we are captured in color.

The United States is facing a maternal health crisis, with the maternal mortality rate being 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live deaths, with that of Black women being three times higher than that. We are facing a totally preventable baby formula shortage that is leaving parents desperate and babies hungry. Instead of addressing these issues, those in power are choosing instead to strip the rights of women to make their own choices about their health and their lives.

The thing with freedom and choice is that once it is given, it will not so easily be taken away. We are no longer living in a time where a woman’s only place is in the house. A woman’s place is anywhere she wants it to be, and that can be at an abortion clinic, at a march for her right to choose, and, what many fear, at a ballot box this November. This fight is not over just yet.

State Rep. Daryl Campbell:

The Supreme Court decision to inhumanely overturn Roe v. Wade is a travesty and has left our nation in turmoil.

We expect our government to serve the vast and ever-growing landscape that is America, but this decision upends almost 50 years of established reproductive health rights in our country and represents a major pull backwards.

Today, every American should be saddened and upset at the regressive measures this court has taken. Reproductive rights and justice are inalienable rights of any human being, and when women are stripped of their control of their bodily autonomy, then everyone else’s is also threatened. Until all of us are free, none of us are free!

This decision will harm the same people that are on the frontlines of regressive policies and judicial decisions, minority and low-income communities.

This is a direct attack on all WOMEN! The issue of abortion is not an isolated issue, but represents an intersectionality between individuals, families, and communities.

Like many, I am saddened by this decision, yet this has only strengthened my resolve to continue being an ally and engaging others to actively participate in this fight for reproductive rights and freedom!

Speak up, but most importantly, VOTE!

State Rep. Kevin Chambliss:

It’s clear that the US Supreme Court has ignored the reproductive rights of women to make a very personal decision with their bodies. This ruling sets this nation backward and will force many women, especially low-income women, to search for dangerous abortion options. Rather than allow a woman and her doctor to make the best decision for her, the Justices have decided to strip them of their rights and give the authority to the states to intrude into the wombs.  In states governed by Republicans, such as Florida, the choice to make abortion illegal will become political football that will hold women’s rights hostage.

State Rep. Nick Duran:

My wife and I are gutted just thinking about the generations of women coming up now with less rights to privacy and autonomy in health care decisions. Seek outrage daily, but do not be bitter. Channel that outrage into action. … Elections matter.

State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani:

This is a devastating blow to our collective freedom as women and Americans. And it follows a clear and consistent Republican effort to end the right to abortions. We have never lost a constitutional right, and now must make sure that Republicans at every level of government feel the consequences of stripping away our rights and freedoms.

Abortion is about freedom, options, self-determination, and a free society. This SCOTUS decision completely strips us of our collective freedoms, taking away our power to control our personal decisions and handing it over to politicians. It will have a ripple effect around the nation with abortion bans already set to go into place and states like Florida planning to be next.

We cannot forget that this fight goes beyond abortion, this decision is tied to other freedoms we have fought for, including same-sex marriage and access to contraception.

Though this is a major loss for gender equity and a horrific win for extreme conservatism we must remember that here in Florida, abortion is still legal. We must remember that Floridians overwhelmingly want abortion to remain legal, and generations before us have fought tirelessly to gain and protect the rights we have today. We must take these fights with us into the upcoming midterm elections while we continue to support local abortion providers and funds.

This is not the time to shrink, or surrender. The antidote to despair is action. We are in a fight to make sure everyone has the power to control their own bodies, lives, and futures and despite this decision, cannot give up now.

State Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil:

This has been a decades-long attack by  extremist Republicans in Congress, state legislatures, and the White House. As a woman and a mother, I understand the importance of women being able to control their outcomes and their own bodies. It’s clear that the rights for women’s health care are in state legislatures, and that’s part of the reason I’m running for Florida Senate. This is a dangerous attack on individual freedom that needs to be fought in state legislatures across the country and at the federal level.

I am the only candidate in this race who will defend women’s rights. While SCOTUS sends us back 50 years, we must continue to fight for reproductive freedom in our state legislatures. We are days away from Florida’s 15-week abortion ban, but I will always fight to reverse the damage that’s been done.

State Rep. Yvonne Hinson:

Make no mistake — this decision goes beyond abortion. This wrongful ruling is about who has power over you, who has the authority to make decisions for you, and who can control how your future is going to be. Our rights are no longer safe.

This decision goes against the will of the people: 80% of Americans believe that abortion should be legal.

That means 36 million women — nearly half of the women of reproductive age (18-49) in the United States — and more people who can become pregnant, could soon lose abortion access.

This decision means that government officials in states across the country may soon be investigating and potentially criminalizing pregnancy outcomes — including for pregnancies that end in miscarriage. It is an attack on your rights, your privacy, and your freedom.

State Rep. Michele Rayner:

The Supreme Court decision today effectively overturns Roe v. Wade and peels back federal protections. Here in Florida, the laws would default to the abortion ban passed recently which doesn’t make exceptions even for incest or rape. Millions of women lost a fundamental constitutional protection today despite these protections being overwhelmingly supported by a majority of Americans. I am committed to doing everything in my power to reverse the harm this decision has caused and to fight for people’s right to access safe abortions.

State Rep. Kelly Skidmore:

What today’s ruling did was put the future of women’s reproductive health within State control. We can anticipate, given the behavior of the state’s Republican leadership, that Florida will soon ban all abortion. The only way this changes is for Florida to see a balanced legislature that listens to reason. Women need to understand that the power is theirs at the ballot box and as long as we continue to have a right-wing controlled administration and legislature, we can expect to see not only our right to safe and legal abortion stripped away, but the continued destruction of many of our civil liberties. We must change who’s running the state because all Floridians deserve the freedom to be healthy, prosperous, and safe.

State Rep. Geraldine Thompson:

We see the result of stacking the courts with Federalist Society members who are willing to rule based on a political agenda rather than respecting a woman’s right to privacy and bodily autonomy.

State Rep. Patricia Williams:

Saddened BUT not SURPRISED!!

Florida Democratic Party Chair Manny Diaz:

Today’s decision by five Republican-appointed Justices severely restricts the freedom of millions of women to make deeply personal health care decisions and instead impose government interference in health care decisions between women, their doctors, family, and God.

Florida Republicans Marco Rubio and Ron DeSantis are focused on banning abortion and basic freedoms when they should be trying to improve our economy, ensure that every American can find a good-paying job, and make health care more affordable. They support draconian bans on reproductive health care without exceptions when a woman’s life is in danger or for victims of rape and incest. Today’s decision gives them the power to compel their dangerous political agenda at every level, including a possible ban on the use of contraceptives.

Democrats believe in the freedom of women to make their own personal health decisions and are committed to fighting government interference in health care decisions between women and their doctors. Conservative politicians have no right to intervene in some of the most difficult and personal choices women and their families have to make.

Democratic Attorney General candidate Aramis Ayala:

Today, the Supreme Court overturned long-standing precedent that threatens the health, safety, and autonomy of women all over America. The Supreme Court has signaled that it does not believe women should have the right to bodily autonomy. The ruling will have rippling effects, especially here in Florida. It will not stop abortions, it will just move them into the shadows, where people cannot get adequate medical care. People will die. Make no mistake: Black, Brown, and poor communities will suffer the greatest impact of this decision.

As Attorney General, I will fight tooth and nail to protect women’s rights and access to safe abortions. I will never prosecute a woman for her choice to terminate her pregnancy, or a doctor who tries to provide her with care.

I also know that access to safe care is what the people who live here want and deserve. The majority of Americans believe in reproductive freedom, and I’m running to be Florida’s next Attorney General to enforce the law in a way that reflects Floridians’ values and protects our liberties and freedoms – including the right to an abortion. I am running to keep people safe, and overturning this precedent does exactly the opposite.

I also want to say that as a proud Christian, it is insulting to see the Republican Party use religion to justify taking our rights away, criminalizing and punishing anyone who disagrees with their beliefs. It is abhorrent to see them so callously disregard the health and safety of women.

Ruth’s List Florida President & CEO Lucy Sedgwick:

We’ve all known the official ruling in the Mississippi abortion case was coming any day, but it doesn’t make it any less infuriating and enraging. Today, the Supreme Court has issued the most offensive ruling in our lifetime, overturning 50 years of constitutionally guaranteed protection of abortion rights, stripping us of our bodily autonomy, our fundamental right to freedom, and with it, our equality.

This is part of a decades-long coordinated effort by Republicans to stack the courts and elect anti-abortion legislators across the country. The only way we’ll stop Florida from regressing further is at the ballot box in November — and we’re doubling down on our efforts to recruit, train, and support a record number of Democratic pro-choice women candidates this year. Change may not happen overnight, but Ruth’s List is in it for the long haul. We won’t stop until we elect a majority of leaders in this state who truly represent the will of the people.

Kelly Flynn, President & CEO of A Woman’s Choice abortion clinics:

Today’s decision to overturn 50 years of settled law is a betrayal by the Supreme Court of the United States. A betrayal of pregnant people and their families, liberty, and decency. Abortion is healthcare and today’s decision will not stop people from needing abortions, but it will make it more difficult — sometimes impossible — for people to get the care they need. Our mission will not change in light of this horrific betrayal. We will still provide safe, nonjudgmental, affordable abortions and vow to work tirelessly to ensure that the right to abortion everywhere is restored.