North Egypt News

In a June 24 news release, Rep. Dave Severin announced his support for the Supreme Court's decision on abortion.

"I am personally pro-life and have a record of supporting and sponsoring legislation that seeks to protect the unborn. I am heartened by today's decision and believe this is the right path forward for protecting the sanctity of life," said Severin.

"Unfortunately in Illinois, not much will change at this time despite my best efforts and the efforts of my pro-life colleagues. Illinois is led by Democratic politicians that favor zero restrictions on abortions, which makes their governing philosophy out of step with the average person. As Governor Pritzker calls legislators back to Springfield for a special session, my constituents should know that I will stand strong against further attempts to expand taxpayer-funded abortion on demand. I will maintain my 100% pro-life voting record," said Severin.

The Supreme Court announced a 6-3 decision overturning the protections of Roe v. Wade on Jun. 24, as reported by POLITICO and other outlets. The majority opinion, authored by Justice Samuel Alito, hewed closely to the draft version obtained exclusively by POLITICO and published in early May. In its official opinion, the court's conservative majority went beyond simply resolving the case before them — Mississippi's near-ban on abortion at 15 weeks of pregnancy — and instead overturned both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, long-standing precedents that barred states from banning abortion before the point of fetal viability. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, "Alito wrote. "This Court cannot bring about the permanent resolution of a rancorous national controversy simply by dictating a settlement and telling the people to move on."

The Associated Press reported that Chief Justice John Roberts said he would prefer a more "measured course," simply upholding a Mississippi ban on abortions after 15 weeks. He said overturning Roe was an unnecessary and "serious jolt" to the legal system. But the chief justice was unable to attract any support from his colleagues on the right, including the three justices nominated by former President Donald Trump. Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett helped form the majority to overrule Roe and fulfill a prophecy from then-candidate Trump that his high court picks would vote just that way.