Arthur Greene
When the news was announced on Friday that the US Supreme Court had overturned American women’s right to have an abortion, former president Donald Trump was quick to take credit.
However, Rolling Stone magazine has received multiple reports that in private, Trump “keeps shitting all over” the ruling.
The justices of the Supreme Court voted 5-4 on Friday to rescind Roe vs Wade, an historic 1973 ruling that ensured that all women in America had the right to have an abortion.
The ruling has paved the way for America’s conservative states to criminalise abortions, opening the door to illegal procedures which could put millions of women’s lives at risk.
Trump has already claimed responsibility for the law change. He appointed three current justices on the Supreme Court, and all three voted to have Roe overturned.
On Friday, Trump described the news as “the biggest win for life in a generation” and that it was a “great honour” to have made it possible.
At an Illinois rally, Republican Mary Miller caused a public outcry when she told a crowd that the rescinding of Roe was a “victory for white life”.
Behind closed doors, however, the former president is apparently dismayed. This is not because he feels empathy for the millions who will suffer as a result of the ruling, but because it could severely damage his chances of winning a future presidential election.
“He keeps shitting all over his greatest accomplishment,” a source close to Trump told Rolling Stone.
“When you speak to him, it’s the response of someone fearing the backlash and fearing the politics of what happens when conservatives actually get what they want [on abortion],” the source added.
“I do not think he’s enjoying the moment as much as many of his supporters are, to be honest with you.”
Trump is reportedly worried that overturning Roe vs Wade will lose him the vote of “suburban women” who previously had his support.
What is Roe vs Wade?
In 1973, the US Supreme Court ruled that an American woman must have the right to an abortion.
The ruling was a huge step forward in progressing women’s reproduction rights and largely signalled an end to dangerous and illegal abortion procedures.
But 49 years later, a heavily conservative Supreme Court reversed the bill, giving individual states the right to ban abortions.
In the weekend following the ruling, 13 states have already implemented “trigger laws” to criminalise abortions.
In Arkansas, a woman may only receive an abortion if the pregnancy puts her own life in danger. Pregnancies caused as a result of rape or incest cannot be terminated. Women who go through with an illegal abortion face prison time.
Lawmakers are also concerned that the law change could set a precedent for the Supreme Court to overturn other historic rulings, such as those which protect minorities’ voting rights, same-sex marriages and contraception.
Video source: @HeartlandSignal
