Roe v. Wade live updates: Beto O'Rourke joins downtown protesters after Supreme Court abortion decision

Friday would be the first night of protests, but it wouldn’t be the last.

“We need protests, walkouts, occupations and sit-ins so that we can push back against these attacks and win back the right to abortions,” said Brian Harrison, who organized the protest as part of Socialist Alternative Houston.

7:22 p.m. Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke has joined abortion-rights demonstrators at the federal courthouse in downtown Houston. He was seen walking and taking photos with protesters. 

6:41 p.m. Hundreds of abortion-rights demonstrators have gathered outside the Bob Casey United States Court House on Friday to protest the Supreme Court’s ruling, writes reporter John Wayne Ferguson.

The demonstrators carried signs saying “Fight back,” “Free Safe Legal Abortions Now!” and “Abortion is Healthcare.” They chanted “my body, my choice.”

The downtown protest was organized by Socialist Alternative Houston.

“We have to stand up and fight back,” said protest organizer Brian Harrison. “We need protests, walkouts, occupations and sit-ins so that we can push back against these attacks and win back the right to abortions.”

The demonstration is planned to go until 8 p.m.

5:33 p.m. After the Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark case that protected the constitutional right to abortion, funds across Texas are facing a new legal uncertainty.

In the wake of the ruling, Attorney General Ken Paxton said that Texas’s never-repealed pre-Roe v. Wade abortion statutes are still the law, leaving some of these abortion groups to pause funding, cutting off support for Texans who can’t afford an abortion or are seeking one in another state, writes Jhair Romero and Sam Kelly.

“Today is a slap in the face to the lawyers, activists, & organizers who fought against this decision. But, WE WON’T STOP. We will continue to fight until everyone is able to have the abortions they want and need - free from barriers, fear, stigma, or interference from others,” reads a Twitter post from Fund Texas Choice, an abortion fund that reported a 600 percent spike last year in calls after Senate Bill 8, which bans abortions in Texas after six weeks, was passed .

3:28 p.m. Outdoor clothing company Patagonia announced that it will provide bail for both its part-time and full-time employees arrested while protesting after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to abortion, according to BNN. This marks the first time a company has publicly made a statement to do so. 

3:15 p.m. U.S. Senator Collins spoke out following the release of the Supreme Court's decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization implying that she was misled in meetings with Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. She issued the following statement:

“The threshold question of whether abortion is legal needs to be consistent at a national level. States can account for regional differences with regulations like parental notification requirements, but the basic right needs to be the same for all American women. The Supreme Court has abandoned a fifty-year precedent at a time that the country is desperate for stability. This ill-considered action will further divide the country at a moment when, more than ever in modern times, we need the Court to show both consistency and restraint. Throwing out a precedent overnight that the country has relied upon for half a century is not conservative. It is a sudden and radical jolt to the country that will lead to political chaos, anger, and a further loss of confidence in our government.This decision is inconsistent with what Justices Gorsuch and Kavanaugh said in their testimony and their meetings with me, where they both were insistent on the importance of supporting long-standing precedents that the country has relied upon."

2:50 p.m. Publicly, former President Donald J. Trump was quiet after a draft of the Supreme Court's likely decision leaked in May, which the court ultimately delivered on Friday, ending federal abortion protections. But privately, Trump has told people repeatedly that he believes it will be “bad for Republicans," according to the New York Times.

Trump reportedly told friends and advisers that the decision will anger suburban women, a group who helped tilt the 2020 presidential race to now President Joe Biden, and will lead to a backlash against Republicans in the November midterm elections.

He also has told people in other conversations that measures like the six-week abortion ban in Texas are “so stupid,” according to a person with direct knowledge of the discussions. 

2:29 p.m. Whole Woman's Health, the largest abortion provider in the country, which has clinics in Austin, Fort Worth, McAllen, and McKinney, has stopped providing the service as of today.

“We don’t agree with Ken Paxton about the interpretation of the criminal abortion ban, but to protect our staff and to protect our patients from the hostile elected officials in Texas, we have ceased providing abortion care today,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, founder and CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, in a press conference Friday. Hagstrom Miller was referring to the Texas attorney general's statement earlier Friday saying he would support district attorneys who choose to prosecute immediately based on pre-Roe laws still on the books.

She said the clinic group is working with its legal team to figure out whether it can continue the services for patients in Texas in the future.

2:01 p.m. "In the wake of the chaos sure to follow Friday’s explosive U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Texans are going to need good information, legal help and creative — and courageous — prosecutors willing to use their discretion to avoid pregnant women and their health care providers targets of criminal charges," writes the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board.

"What other legal risks exist in a post-Roe world aren’t yet entirely clear, though legal aid groups are scrambling to help provide support and answers to pregnant women in Texas. What happens when a Texan orders abortion pills from another state? Or when a woman travels to another state for an abortion?"

Read more from the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board's take on the Roe reversal.

1:50 p.m. Officials at the Gulf Coast Planned Parenthood in Houston are already turning people away who are seeking abortions, the Houston Chronicle's Jeremy Blackman reports. 

"We had to turn away several folks that were trying to get their abortion completed today, but unfortunately, we're not able to because of this decision," Dr. Bhavik Kumar, an abortion provider for Planned Parenthood, said. "So in this moment, there are real people that are impacted, and they continue to be impacted. So what we're trying to do is to inform them of this because it's very confusing, what a Supreme Court decision 1400 miles away from where we're trying to provide care means for real people."

1:42 p.m. Two very different scenes unfolded outside the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on Friday following the historic ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

Photos show hundreds of anti-abortion activists cheering after word of the ruling, toting signs that read "THE FUTURE IS ANTI-ABORTION" and "PEACE OUT ROE."

The reaction from supporters of abortion rights was the opposite, with many protesters bursting into tears, chanting and coming face to face with those from the other side. 

A rowdy crowd started forming outside the nation's capital early this morning and has grown in size throughout the afternoon. Here's a look at the reaction outside the Supreme Court so far, and how Americans are reacting to the news. 

1:38 p.m. Anti-abortion organizations and activists reacted joyfully to the news that the landmark 1973 decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion had been overturned. 

“This is a phenomenal moment that our movement has been working toward for almost 50 years,” said John Seago, the legislative director of Texas Right to Life, a nonprofit anti-abortion advocacy group. “We’re excited, but there is definitely a weight of responsibility for our organization moving forward to build a pro-life state, and not just end abortion.”

1:33 p.m. The CEO of DICK'S Sporting Goods is responding to the historic Roe v. Wade reversal by offering to provide up to $4,000 in travel expense reimbursement for employees that live in a state with restricted abortion access. 

"While we do not know what decision each state will make in response to this ruling, we at DICK'S Sporting Goods are prepared to ensure that all of our teammates have consistent and safe access to the benefits we provide, regardless of the state in which they live," Lauren Hobart, president and CEO of the company said in a LinkedIn post. 

1:20 p.m. Lawyers for abortion providers vowed Friday to continue fighting despite the end of Roe v. Wade, but they warned it would be a difficult legal road ahead.

"The reality is that we are going to see some of those laws enacted, and they will be challenged, but the ultimate constitutionality of those laws will end up being decided through litigation by the courts," said Julie Rikelman, a lead attorney with the Center for Reproductive Rights.

1:15 p.m. All three Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates will reportedly pause abortions following the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe V. Wade Friday, officials announced in a press conference Friday. 

"Planned Parenthood South Texas where I work and Planned Parenthood of greater Texas and Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast are independent organizations. We have our own separate boards, staff, patient populations and unique considerations," said Jeffrey Hons, president and CEO of PP South Texas.

"Yet we have all independently reached the same conclusion that we must pause abortion services at our separate organizations while our legal teams continue to review today's devastating ruling and how it impacts and triggers existing Texas laws."

1:02 p.m. Linda Coffee, the last living member of Roe v. Wade’s legal team, spoke about the ruling from her home in Mineola, east of Dallas, when reached by phone Friday.

She had been watching the news. After the U.S. Supreme Court’s leak of its draft decision in May, she anticipated the protection she worked hard to institute would be overturned. But knowing that it would occur didn’t make the outcome any less stinging.

“We were really proud of what we did,” Coffee, 79, said of the 1973 court case.

When they won, Coffee said she largely thought the fight was over. She felt it was a strong case, even as some argued later that Roe never established itself as constitutionally grounded law to begin with.

Now, Coffee is unsure what will come next. 

12:43 p.m. The WNBA's Washington Mystics team issued a statement on Twitter condemning the Supreme Court's decision and standing in solidarity with all women and their right to choose. 

"As professional athletes, we are the physical manifestation of the battles forged by women, people of color, and LGTBQIA+ individuals for us to have the opportunities that we have today. The right to choose is fundamental — we each have the right to choose who we are, who we love, how we live, and what we do with our bodies."

12:33 p.m. Tensions rose outside of the Supreme Court as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene walked through a rowdy crowd Friday. 

12:22 p.m. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton told most of his agency's 4,000 employees to stop working at noon to "celebrate life and the protection of the unborn," according to an internal memo obtained by the Dallas Morning News.

12:07 p.m. Some states, like Texas, have trigger laws in place that swiftly ban nearly all abortions after Roe v. Wade's demise. Other states, like California, have protections in place that would prevent much from changing.

See in this map where abortion will be banned, restricted and protected without Roe v. Wade, according to each state's current laws.

12:00 p.m. U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters sounded off saying that women will defy the Supreme Court.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," she said to a crowd. 

"Women are going to control their bodies no matter how they try and stop us. The hell with the Supreme Court. We will defy them."

11:50 a.m. President Joe Biden addressed the nation following the decision and said that Roe V. Wade should not have been overturned.

"This decision must not be the final word," he said at a press conference calling on Congress to act. 

11:42 a.m. Longtime abortion rights advocate Cecile Richards said Friday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision made today “one of the darkest days in American history.”

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood and co-chair of the Democratic Political Action Committee American Bridge.

“The Republican Party has made ending access to safe and legal abortion a litmus test and guiding principle for their party,” she continued in a statement. “Now that Roe has been overturned – this sets the precedent for all rights and protections that Americans hold dear to be taken away by right-wing extremists like the ones that sit on the Supreme Court.”

“This sick and cynical strategy is causing severe harm to women and families all over this country – particularly in marginalized communities. An overwhelming majority of Americans want abortion to be left up to a pregnant person and their doctor – this decision ends that guarantee. Republican politicians have put the government in charge of people’s personal medical decisions and we know they will not stop there.”

11:40 a.m. Among the flood of local reactions on social media to the historic ruling is a tweet from Frances “Poppy” Northcutt, a pioneering engineer in NASA's Mission Control Center, who helped save Apollo 13.

Northcutt also went to law school and became an advocate for equal rights. She has been active for years in elections, serving as a Harris County election judge at polling stations.

She called it a “really sad day” to see women being turned away at a local clinic.

11:35 a.m. With the protections in Roe overturned, Texas' near-total abortion ban will take effect sometime in the next 30 days from Friday, according to AG Ken Paxton.

So is abortion still legal until then? Here's a refresher and commonly asked questions on what exactly Texas' abortion trigger is.

11:25 a.m. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo released an impassioned statement Friday afternoon, saying she’s going to “continue to fight” for Texas women.

“What a tragic trampling on the progress women have made, a sad day as long-standing rights are stripped, a dangerous moment for Texas women forced into underground abortions,” Hidalgo tweeted. “As the woman in charge of Texas’ largest county, I’m further emboldened. I’ll continue to fight for us all.”

11:16 a.m. Across the state district attorneys are sounding off on how they will handle prosecuting abortion cases after the Supreme Court's ruling on Roe v. Wade. 

In Fort Bend County, District Attorney Brian Middleton issued a statement detailing how his office will proceed going forward.

"As the elected District Attorney of Fort Bend County, I serve the people of Fort Bend County and I am sworn to uphold the Constitution, to seek justice and to ensure equal justice under the law," Middleton said. "As stated by Thomas Aquinas, 'Mercy without justice is the mother of all dissolution, and justice without mercy is cruelty.'"

Other Texas district attorneys in Travis, Bexar and Nueces counties also condemned efforts to criminalize abortion and pledged not to prosecute personal healthcare decisions.

10:57 a.m. Southern Baptist Church's new president, Bart Barber, rejoiced to the ruling in a statement lending his support of the pro-life movement. 

10:47 a.m. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reacted to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling saying that outlawing abortions doesn't make them go away. 

"It only makes them more dangerous, especially for the poor and marginalized," she tweeted Friday morning.

10:35 a.m. The crowd outside of the U.S. Supreme Court has grown significantly since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to a Dallas Morning News reporter.

"Women will decide their fate," the crowd is heard chanting on video.

10:17 a.m. Abortions are the sole revenue stream for many clinics who are now analyzing the decision and trying to figure out how they will survive, and continue to help women in whatever capacity the law allow. 

Houston Women’s Reproductive Services founder Kathy Kleinfeld said it would likely transition to a place where women could receive ultrasounds and referrals.

9:59 a.m. You may have heard it bandied about during confirmation hearings or seen the video super cut of the three newest members of the U.S. Supreme Court saying a curious Latin phrase over and over again in testimony before the Senate judiciary committee: "stare decisis."

It will be repeated many times today in news stories about the ruling to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that enshrined the right to abortion and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the 1992 ruling that narrowed the Roe framework, letting states restrict abortion beyond the first trimester of pregnancy.

What does it mean? Stare decisis means “to stand by things decided.” What it means in reality is that when justices or judges are taking up an issue that their predecessors have tackled, they will abide by the principle of standing by past practice. They will honor their colleagues' reasoning and conclusions. They won't flip the apple cart.

You don't mess with what the court considers a "super precedent," a finding that is so well established that it's understood, regardless of political leanings, that no justice should tinker with it.

Stare decisis is a big deal when it applies to major legal precedents like Brown v. Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in schools in 1954 or Plessy v. Fergusson, which facilitated Jim Crow laws when the court held in 1896 that "separate but equal" facilities were constitutional.

Respecting "stare decisis," the major precedents of previous courts, has come up repeatedly during confirmations since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, that protects the right to abortion across the U.S. The standard answer for most nominees is yes, they will honor "stare decisis." Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett all said they would.

The majority decision on Friday indicates that there's more nuance to their answers.

9:45 a.m The abortion trigger law does not go into effect in Texas for another 30 days, according to NPR. But for states like Kentucky, Louisiana and South Dakota, the bans went into effect immediately after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.

Though Friday’s decision was based on a case in Mississippi, Texas has been leading the charge to outlaw abortion. Here's how the state's top leaders reacted to the Roe v. Wade reversal.

Read the full ruling below:

9:41 a.m. People are starting to gather outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to the Associated Press, shortly after SCOTUS overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case in a 5-4 decision.

9:37 a.m. Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg reacted to the ruling in a statement:

“The criminalization of reproductive health will cause great harm to women in America; prosecutors and police have no role in matters between doctors and patients. As in every case, we will evaluate the facts and make decisions on a case-by-case basis.”

9:31 a.m. In a concurring opinion, Justice Clarence Thomas writes that the Supreme Court should also reconsider Grisworld, Lawrence and Obergefell, according to MSNBC.

9:30 a.m. Beto O’Rourke, the Democratic candidate for Texas governor, released a statement on Friday morning’s Supreme Court ruling:

“The only way to overcome today’s decision is to win this race for governor. The Supreme Court has sent this back to the states, and our state’s current governor has outlawed abortion beginning at conception with no exception for rape or incest. If you care about protecting a woman’s freedom to make her own decisions about her own body, health care, and future, join this campaign and help us win.”

9:25 a.m. Fox News reacted to the ruling calling it a victory for former President Donald Trump.

"I think that's one of the main reasons people remain loyal to him in terms of coming through on those pledges."

9:11 a.m. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday morning in a staggering and starkly divided ruling that dismantles federal abortion protections in place for two generations and allows dozens of eager states to begin banning the procedure outright, including Texas.

The decision, which had been anticipated for weeks after a draft opinion was leaked, reverses one of the most consequential judicial decrees in the past century and threatens to strand tens of millions of women across much of the South and Midwest who are of reproductive age.

Texas abortion opponents have been fighting to cut off access to the procedure ever since the Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Here’s a timeline of their efforts over the last 50 years before Friday court's ruling.

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