Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday condemned the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the 1973 Roe vs. Wade judgment that made abortion a constitutional right. In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said that “today is a sad and deeply disappointing day for freedom, equality, privacy and dignity – especially of women.”
“If you look carefully, you will find tears rolling down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty,” he said.
If you look carefully, you will find tears running down the cheeks of the Statue of Liberty
Today is a sad and deeply disappointing day for freedom, equality, privacy and dignity – especially for women
— P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) June 24, 2022
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The U.S. Supreme Court took the dramatic step of overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which recognized a woman’s constitutional right to an abortion and legalized it nationwide, handing Republicans and religious conservatives a significant victory, who wish to limit or restrict the process. The court, in a 6-3 decision driven by its conservative majority, upheld the Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortions after 15 weeks.
Taking a jibe at the US justice system, the senior Congress leader also said, “When a nation is hopelessly divided, non-elected judges can impose their prejudicial opinions on people and get away.”
Being one of the first leaders of India to react to the issue, he also said, “Constitutional rights are not ‘granted’ by the Court, they are birthright. Court cannot ‘take away’ that right He has not given,” said Chidambaram.
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Highlighting the problems women would face by reversing the verdict, she said, “Can you imagine a woman bears full term and gives birth to an unwanted child; child of a rapist; a child sown by incest; a child that the mother cannot afford to bring into this world or afford to feed or raise; And a child who will never find love.”