i believe it was 53 long days ago when i was running through the hallways here with this leaked opinion that i couldn't believe that i was holding. you had one, and just the shock of having a leaked supreme court opinion, and then, getting it today was also shocking because the stuff that we and others pointed out in it, that could easily have been cut, was still in there. the quoting, you know, of these guys from the 1600s in england, who thought witches should be tried and executed. the witch trial moral authorities are still in this opinion. they are still being quoted as guidance for samuel alito. >> yeah, justice alito and the majority, they were not taking pains to make sure that this would be broadly accepted. that was not the goal of this one. works. this was just raw power, doing it because they could. and they're not trying to bring anybody along with him.

and i think that's, i think, part of the reason that you've had so much discussion today about what's next, because if they're willing to do this on this, which they knew would be the most divisive possible thing in the country, obviously, they would do it on things for what they think they had even more leeway to operate. that, we don't care element to this is, i think, gonna be a profoundly important part of the way this changes the country. >> and when you think of the presidents who made this happen, beginning with ronald reagan, but more importantly now, george h. w. bush, because he has clarence thomas on the supreme court, and the reagan justice there right now. but from george w. bush, to ronald reagan and donald trump, it is just a statistic statistical likelihood without even getting into their life histories. it's a statistical likelihood that it least one of them has personally, in some sense,

participated in an abortion, possibly by paying for it. as is very common. and the idea that they actually really believed this stuff that they were saying on the campaign trail, and really wanted it to happen, is something i have never accepted about any one of them ever. but the people they put on the supreme court didn't get the memo, that stuff is just campaign talk. >> it's interesting to see the right, to see the antiabortion right, and see the republicans certainly pleased with what happens today. but also, worried about the electoral consequences of this, because they're the dog that cut the car here, in a way. it's one thing to talk about the horrors of abortion, and why we need to get rid of it, and how terrible it is, and we will get rid of it. then, if you do get rid of it, and if you're the person responsible for america being a country without right that is no longer available to all american women.

that's a kind of accountability that i'm not sure that they're prepared for. i was thinking about the fact that president biden is going to the g7 tomorrow, right? so he's gonna be going to talk to the leaders of canada, france, uk, italy, japan, germany, and one of the things he has to tell them is, you know, yeah, we just banned abortion in our democracy yesterday. wait, are the american people against that too? but clarence thomas, you know, i mean, this is -- it's hard to explain in democratic terms. i think it's gonna be hard to defend it. >> and he doesn't have to tell them. because it's headlines worldwide and i think it was seven hours ago, where i saw the tweet from the president of france, registering his objections to the united states supreme court decision which only applies within states, i believe that's the first time that's ever happened. >> i was looking at the scottish premiere, talking about this as one of the darkest days in memory for

women's rights. like the united states is supposed to be leading on this. we are not supposed to be like the central american backsliding dictatorship, right? we are supposed to be the beacon for the world in terms of rights, the expansion of rights and human liberty and every other major democracy, every other mature democracy in the world is freaking out, looking at what a basket case we are. >> you know, the solution is -- that boring sounding solution of voting, voting, voting, and the people who understood that are the voters who put those republican presidents in office. they understood what those votes were about. >> yeah, the solutions are really practical about helping women become outlaws in order to continue to make decisions about their bodies and their lives. and coming up with ways to protect women, while taking them outside the law, in order to do what they need to do. and that is, it's a very

different country than we are all used to. >> and that story is just beginning tonight. >> thanks, lawrence. >> thank you, rachel. >> well, i have read many supreme court opinions that i have disagreed with. but whose legal scholarship i have respected. this is not one of those decisions. the current supreme court is not reflectively worthy of respect. they have not earned it. the current supreme court harbors the most corrupted supreme court justice in history, who infamously ruled on a case involving his wife's attempt to encourage people to commit election fraud. the court contains three justices who was names were handed to donald trump by mitch mcconnell. donald trump, a candidate who came in second in the presidential election of 2016, but then came in first in the electoral college.

he's not the only second place candidate who got to be president and got to appoint a supreme court justice, including the justice was the author of this opinion. the author of today's opinion, samuel alito, was appointed by george w. bush, who was the first president in history to get fewer votes than his opponent, but still when the electoral college. the current supreme court is not a product of democracy, and is a product of minority rule. it is the product of the corruption, of constitutional processes by senate republicans, who refused to even allow a vote on president obama's final choice of a supreme court justice. the republican judges on the supreme court share a dangerous trumpian characteristic. they are incapable of embarrassment. the trump appointed judges do not take their appointments to the supreme court with modesty,

recognizing that most voters in the country voted against the president who nominated them. neil gorsuch shows no embarrassment in occupying a supreme court seat, stolen from president obama, by mitch mcconnell and senate republicans. i never said anything like this about the supreme court before the trump years. i spent most of my life in awe of the supreme court. i always wish there were more justices on the court who agreed with me, who i always believed in legitimacy of the electoral process and the confirmation process that delivered them to the supreme court. the crisis of the very legitimacy of the united states supreme court fills me with sorrow. the same sorrow expressed by the three justices on the supreme court, who represent the views of a majority of the american people, the last line

of the 66-page dissent, written by stephen breyer, sonia sotomayor, and elana kagan, says with sorrow, for this court, but more for the many millions of american women who have today, lost a fundamental constitutional protection, we dissent. they dissent from the majority opinions reliance, on the moral authority on the subject of abortion, of two english aristocrats, who in the 1630's, believed that which is should be tried in court, before being put to death. the supreme court opinion, revoking a constitutional right for the first time in history, relies on men who believed in with you and believed they should be executed. and it does so without embarrassment.

they dissent from the majorities belief that the 14th amendments, guaranteed constitutional right to liberty, applies only to the legally recognized liberties that existed in 1868, when the 14th amendment was written. glenn's thomas embraces that view without embarrassment, even though in 1868, he would not have had the liberty of interracial marriage that he now enjoys. the dissent points out the 14th amendments fires did not give black and white people the right to marry each other. but 100 years later, the supreme court relied on the 14th amendment to make interracial marriage a constitutional right, 20 years after that, clarence thomas use that constitution right, in the state of nebraska, where

interracial marriage was illegal, until 1963. interracial marriage was still a novel concept for virginia thomas's white relatives in nebraska, in the midwest, even after she married clarence thomas. in 1991, when clarence thomas's nomination to the supreme court was announced, virginia thomas's aunt and uncle spoke to the washington post, saying, i can guarantee you i was surprised when i found out she was going with a black man, ginni thomas's uncle said from his farm in iowa. it was unusual for us. but he was so nice. we forgot he was black. her aunt, opal, added, and he treated her so well, all of his other qualities made up for his

being black. made up for his being black. they said that in 1991! in a country where most people thought it took other qualities to make up for being black, the supreme court found in the 14th amendment, the liberty for clarence thomas to marry the woman he loved, and today, clarence thomas cannot find the liberty for women in the 14th amendment. and he is not embarrassed about that. not long ago, the surest way to embarrass the supreme court justice would be to point out an inconsistency. not anymore. the dissent hurls embarrassment at the majority opinion, knowing that the majority created by donald trump cannot feel embarrassment. the dissent says,

embarrassingly for the majority, early law in fact does provide some support for abortion rights. common law authorities did not treat abortion as a crime before quickening, the point when the fetus moved in the womb. and early american law followed the common law rule. so, the criminal law of that early time might be taken is roughly consonant with rose and casey's different treatment of early and late abortions. we will have more on the embarrassing, amateur historians work in today's supreme court opinion. later in this hour, with a professional legal historian. the republican judges at the supreme court are now, and never have been, and perhaps, never will be, embarrassed by their cruelty. >> state laws banning abortion are automatically taking effect

today, jeopardizing the health of millions of women, some without exceptions. so extreme to the women can be punished for protecting their health. so extreme that women and girls are forced to bear their rapists child. with a child of consequence -- it just stuns me. so extreme that doctors will be criminalized for fulfilling their duty, to care, imagine having young women having to carry their child of incest, as a consequence of incest. no option. too often the case, the poor women are going to be hit the hardest. it's cruel. >> justice breyer, justice sotomayor, justice kagan, dissent because the majority opinion says.

that from the very moment of realization, a woman has no rights to speak of, a state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familiar familial costs. some states have enacted laws extended to all forms of abortion, procedure, including taking medication in one's own home. they have passed laws without any exceptions for when the woman is the victim of rape or incest. under those laws, a woman will have to bear her rapists child or a young girl her father's. no matter if doing so will destroy her life. a young girl, her father's. it's not a theoretical example. you know that if you read our first guest new york times op-ed piece last year, when she first appeared on this program. it was right there in the

headline. i was raped by my father, and abortion saved my life. michele bratcher goodwin wrote, at age 12, i was pregnant by my father and i had an abortion. before we got to the doctor's office, i had no idea that i was pregnant. i will forever be grateful that my pregnancy was terminated. i am fortunate that my body was spared an additional trauma imposed by my father, when one that today would be forced by some state legislatures in courts. no child should be pressured or expected to carry a pregnancy and give birth to feel remorse, guilt, and out or unease about an abortion under any circumstances, let alone rape or incest. never forget who did this.

george h. w. bush, through clarence thomas. and george w. bush through samuel alito and john roberts. and donald trump, through neil gorsuch, brett kavanaugh and amy coney barrett. they have all now said, to children who get pregnant, they can be forced to bear their rapists ' child, george h. w. bush did. that george w. bush did that. donald trump did that. leading off our discussion now is michele bratcher goodwin, chancellors professional of law at the university of california irvine. and the author of policing the womb, and visible women in the criminalization of motherhood. also with us is cecile richards, former president of parent planned parenthood.

professor goodwin, let me begin with you. you've been with us throughout the 53 days that we knew this was going to happen. but when it happens, it always is something else. it is a different moment in our history. >> the gravity of the moment is with us today, now that the supreme court decision is no longer theoretical but it is in existence. and with it, there are more than two dozen states that will trigger laws into effect that outright ban abortion or make it incredibly difficult for a pregnancy to be terminated. this is a devastating day not just for reproductive health rights and justice. but it's a devastating day for the rule of law. and also for our democracy. because it is absolutely clear, by this final opinion, that the supreme court has turned its back on its key duty.

and that is to defend the constitution and uphold the civil liberties and civil rights of people in this country. by this ruling it has shark to this responsibility. and as you just mentioned, when we think about the people who will be most harmed by this, of the many categories the supreme court has essentially said that a ten year old girl who has been raped by a father, brother, stepfather, should and must carry a pregnancy to term if she is living in a state that bans abortion. and that being a mother at 11 years old in the united states is permissible under law. >> cecile richards, you have joined us on this subject, really, since the beginning of this program. and you've been with it as a cause in your life for much longer than that. what are your feelings and thoughts tonight? >> look, i would agree with the professor. this is a day of enormous

sadness and despair. i was talking to my clinician friends in texas today, literally women who were at health care clinics who, when this decision came down, were sent home. and not only sent home. but, as you looked at the map, where abortion immediately was banned in this country, really with nowhere else to go. and as a the professor says, these are women, oftentimes, who have no other options. they can't fly out of the state. many of them never left the state of texas before. and of course this is happening, most pointedly, to young people, to women with very low incomes. women in rural areas. black women, women of color who have just disproportionately less access to the health care system. and i do think it is the cruelty of this. i think that this was a day where it's hard to really get to the politics of it. because it's just the

inhumanity of what the justices have done, it's so profound. but that is what is really striking to me about this opinion, is it seems the justices -- five unelected justices, or six if you want to include roberts -- just don't care. they don't care that this is overturning a freedom that we've had in this country for more than 50 years. they don't care of what it is going to do to women in this country. and they don't care the fact that this is not with the majority of americans want. that is chilling, to think that we've lost our freedom in this country. and we've lost it to people, unelected folks use it on the supreme court, who are making their own decisions about our lives and our futures. >> joining our discussion now from texas is a doctor, board member at physicians for reproductive health. what has the situation been there tonight? >> we have been dealing with

the fallout of strict abortion bans for a year now in texas. while we were ready for today, that doesn't make it any easier and this is a human rights issue. my colleagues across the state and across the country in the middle of clinic today, having to stop and send people home and colleagues scrambling across the country to figure out where we can get people care, it's unconscionable to think that unelected people in this country can dictate evidence based medicine. that physicians and nurses and health care providers can't do what they've been trained to do to save the lives of their community members, that our hands are being tied, that we are being threatened to be imprisoned, to deliver lifesaving care in our community. >> i want to hear so much more from all of you, but we have several more guests that we are getting to in this first hour

of covering this opinion on the show. please, we are going to need all of you to come back and join us and guide us through this period, cecile richards, but professor michele goodwin, and doctor, thank you very much for beginning our discussion tonight. thank you. >> we will be right back. .

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will go to bed tonight without access to the health care and reproductive care that they had this morning. and without access to the same health care or reproductive health care that they are mothers and grandmothers had for 50 years. you have the power to elect leaders who will defend and

protect your rights. and as the president said earlier today, with your vote, you can act. and you have the final word. so, this is not over. >> joining our coverage now is kelly robinson, executive director of planned parenthood action fund. and let me just give you an open mic to tell us what you think we should know at this point, whether it be your reaction to the opinion or what happens next for planned parenthood. >> thank you so much. this is a tough day, it's a sobering day for so many folks and it's a scary one for many of the people that we serve in communities across the country. today i was in a room with people who lead health services across the country. i sat with him as they worked with their teams to call patients, to let them know that the appointments this scheduled could no longer take place. right now in states across the country, health centers were forced to stop providing health

care to people that need it. what i need people to know is that this is a devastating moment. planned parenthood is here. we will find you access to the care you need. we will get you the care you need. visit abortion finder.org. we've got abortion funds also available to help people and getting access. at the same time, we will be fighting back. this is not the end of the story. as vice president kamala harris said, we've got to vote. we've got to make clear who is accountable here. we've got to make clear that those justices who made this decision live, that the courts have failed us. tonight, but i saw at the steps of the supreme court in communities across the country was hundreds of thousands of people mobilizing to say, enough. we are not accepting this on as our reality. we are ready to fight back. just know, if you are scared, call us. if you are mad, join us, because we have work to do. >> kelly robinson, thank you

very much for joining our discussion. joining us now is senator tina smith, a former vice president of planned parenthood for minnesota and the dakotas. senator, you've joined us on this subject before. but here it is, here is the supreme court doing when i am sure are, for most of the last 50 years, you thought was impossible. >> it has been a long day. it's been a devastating day. but i am just thinking about the women who showed up at clinics in texas and mississippi, other states around this country. expecting to be able to exercise their freedom and decision-making about their own health care, only to be sent away. that is unacceptable. the supreme court spoke today, but they do not have the last word. there is a ton of work to do and i see people mobilizing all around the country tonight, just as we heard. hundreds of thousands of people. i believe that this is going to be a galvanizing issue, lawrence, and i think that

people are just so angry. senator, what can be done legislatively in terms of assuring the interstate delivery of certain drugs involved and other possible issues that the court did not specifically address? >> well, one of the things we have to understand is that medication abortion, the abortion pill, is now the most common way that people decide and used to terminate their pregnancies. it's safe and reliable and affective up through the 11th week of pregnancy. i introduced legislation this week that will ensure that medication abortion is available in states where abortion will still be legal. this is something that's going to be incredibly helpful to women. and i think about my home state of minnesota, which will be a nueces for people seeking abortion care, as medication abortion is available here we don't want anybody to try to put up additional barriers. we know the republicans will attempt to do, to stop women

from getting access to that care. that's one thing that we can do. but we are going to be doing literally hundreds and hundreds of things to protect access to care, while we also fight back at the ballot box and hold these republicans accountable, who have fulfilled their dream of making abortion -- overturning roe. >> senator tina smith, thank you very much. we really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> coming up, a legal historian will take on the amateur historians who wrote today's embarrassing majority opinion, called embarrassing by the supreme court justices, the three, who dissented. that's next. 's next.

>> for the first time in this nation's history, the supreme court revoked a constitutional right, and that opinion authored by justice samuel alito, relies heavily on two men who believed in which is, which is believed witches existed, believed which should be put on trial and believed witches should be found guilty and sentenced to death. sir matthew hale sentenced women accused of witchcraft to death. sir edward cook wrote the witchcraft act of 1604 in england, which served as the primary english law against witchcraft, making it a felony. justice samuel alito cites if

you fail and edward koch in his opinion as moral authorities on abortion. our next guest, law professor jill olin, writes that justice alito relies on sir matthew hale, because, quote, he is desperate to establish that the and the american legal system was opposed to abortion. he thinks this characterization of the past gives overturning roe a veneer of legitimacy, relying on that mystery of injustice as a reason to deny modern women control over their own lives a terrible argument, but apparently the best thing alito can do. joining us now, professor of law at the university of minnesota. and emily, staff writer at the new york times magazine and fellow at the yale law school. and professor, let me begin with you and your reaction to the work of the amateur historians in the opinion. >> well, one thing -- there's a lot of things that we're striking.

the majority opinion is almost unchanged from the leaked draft. alito's basic argument, as you said, is the same, what's the liberty of the constitution protects, we have to look at what price you would half in 1868, would a court of a have a pelt, i recognize the challenge to abortion in 1868, alito says no. so, you don't win. you don't have constitutional protection for abortion access now. i think there is at least two problems with this argument. first, actually, abortion that the chronological amongst americans's first generations it doesn't regulate, it doesn't criminalize criminalize abortions before quickening, which is the moment when a pregnant person first detects fetal movement, which can be as late as about 25 weeks. so, there actually isn't as consistent as history of abortion regulation as illegal alito suggests. moreover, the sources he cites for how we should think about abortion are exclusively of

course, male authorities, women are denied equal constitutional or otherwise, lies at the founding and through the ratification of the 14th amendment in 1868. i think alito is the most egregious example. he is the 17th century english judge. he is regressive even for the time. he, as you said, sentenced two women to death on the grounds that they were witches. he accepted spectral evidence, or even his contemporaries thought that was ridiculous. and alito cites him as great and eminent authority that we should use and use the reason both model consultation today. emily >> the real news of the day, emily, from the point of view of the opinion is the dissent. because the dissent's new. the opinion is something we have in the leaked version. and in the dissent, they say the lone rationale for what the majority does today is that the

right to elect an abortion is not deeply rooted in history. what was your reading of the dissent today? >> i think the dissent is making a full-throated case for the idea that, abortion access, access to abortion is necessary for women's freedom and equality. there was not a clear constitutional basis in roe v. wade but in planned parenthood versus casey, which reaffirmed roe in 1992, the court started to talk about how abortion becomes available for all citizens. and today we see in this dissent this recognition that a few force people to carry pregnancies to term, it's very hard to them to really control their own lives, to really be equal. but there were only three votes, from this point of view. >> professor hasday and emily bazelon, thank you both very much for joining our special coverage. really appreciate it. >> thanks for having me. >> coming up, the night the draft decision overturning roe v. wade was leaked.

representative katie porter joined us on this program, and said this. >> this is a terrible outcome, not just for women, but for all americans. the last thing i needed was a lecture from justice alito about how easy it is today to be a parent. >> representative katie porter will join us next. will join us next.

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the first president bush, if the most corrupt member of the united states supreme court in history, since he ruled on a case involving his -- wife, which is specifically forbidden for supreme court justices. clarence thomas, appointed 1991, staked at the most famous position in today's supreme court opinion. by adding his additional opinion that in future cases, we should reconsider all of this court substantive due process precedents including the right of married persons to obtain contraceptives, the right to engage in private, consensual sexual acts, the right to same sex marriage. >> joining our discussion now is democratic representative, katie porter of california. she's a member of the house oversight committee and deputy chair of house for this caucus. representative, you were here when this began, when we had the leaked opinion. now that you have read the final opinion, what is your reaction?

>> i think it's very, very similar, which is that this opinion, like the draft opinion, trampled on our liberty. this is a freedom issue. this is an issue about who gets to make decisions about your body, about your education about your trajectory in life, and it should be up to every american. and so, for me this is fundamentally, you, know it's a bitter pill to swallow when we talk about the land of liberty, and yet we have a court that is trampling on the will of the majority of people and taking away constitutional rights. >> and the dissent clearly points out that of course this ruling primarily as of now applies to poor women, women with less financial resources, women who cannot afford to travel to another state, to obtain abortions. services, and perhaps in the future, as the dissent points out, possibly have to travel to toronto, because the republicans are hoping for a nationwide ban on abortion.

that is something that mike pence came out in support of today. >> listen, when republicans tell you what they're going to do, listen. they told us they were going to overturn the affordable care act. and it's exactly what they tried to do in the house of representatives. we won in 2018, and we stop them in their tracks, protecting our health care. they are telling us now that they're going to have an issue but nationwide ban on abortion, and it's up to us in 2022, to stop them in their tracks, and again, protect our health care. >> as you go forward, which what will be the congressional response to this decision? >> look, the house has already done its work here, to codify roe. we're gonna do other things. we are looking at trying to protect the other rights that justice thomas made very clear that he's coming for. we are looking at what we can do, in terms of appropriations, what we can do in terms of administrative and executive branch rules, to help support protecting the right to health care, in the meantime. but fundamentally, this is

about the senate. that is what has brought us to this along with a supreme court. we need to overturn the filibuster. the supreme court is not a democratically elected institution, but the senate sure is hell is. and they need to stop filling settling around, and hiding behind our arcane procedural rules, get rid of the filibuster, and take it and up and down vote, on whether or not they are protectors of liberty and freedom. >> representative katie porter, thank you very much for joining us again. really appreciate it. >> thank you. >> representative nikema williams, the chair of georgia 's democratic party will join us next.

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make our own health care decisions, and the right to shape our own futures as a woman, i am appalled. as a georgian, i am enraged, and as an american i am disgusted by this application of all we hold dear. it is a fact that in georgia,

forced pregnancy is now the law of the state. as your next governor, i will continue to defend a woman's right to choose, and to protect the rights of all. it has been done with this law as an assault on the liberties, and we will fight back. >> joining us now is georgia congresswoman nikema williams. she is the chair of georgia's democratic party. thank you very much for joining us. what we just heard from stacey abrams about the new current law in georgia, apparently, the restrictive law that they passed was working its way through the federal courts, but now, that is over. that case will now become law, presumably. >> lawrence, immediately after this roe v. wade was overturned in the supreme court today, in the supreme court our current attorney, general chris carl, who's running for reelection, and our governor brian kemp, they went to the 11th circuit to have them, to stop what was currently in and joining, this

law. so effectively, there are a ban on abortion is going to effect in georgia. this is brian kemp and kris karl who are up for reelection. they have their own version of an abortion ban right here in georgia that bans abortion at six weeks, before most women even know that they are pregnant. and that's what we are dealing with. that's why i'm excited to have people like stacey abrams on the ballot, so that we can have someone, willing to stand up for the rights and freedoms of all georgians, not just some. >> well, this poll in atlanta journal-constitution shows that in georgia, 68% of adults support roe v. wade. so what is the republican political calculation that says, in a governor's reelection campaign, as a republican, he will try to absolutely restrict reproductive rights in georgia. >> lawrence, let's be clear, that it's not 68% of democrats,

it's 68% of all people, all voters in the state of georgia. and so -- >> let me just, for the audience, to inform them, 43% of republicans in georgia, republicans are split evenly in their support for roe v. wade. please go ahead. >> what that shows us, lawrence, is that republicans like brian kemp, continue to be out of touch with most georgians, continue to be out of touch with the country. that's the republican party that we are dealing with now. that's who gave us this extremist supreme court, who overturned roe v. wade today. but i have news for them, lawrence, come november, we have leaders up and down on the ballot on the democratic ticket, that are willing to stand up for the freedoms of all georgians. and i'm excited to have someone like stacey abrams, and raphael warnock on the ballot to vote for, to stand up for our rights and our freedoms as georgians. >> the senate race is crucial, because if senator warnock's not reelected, that then republicans could have the majority in the senate, and they could use that majority to

pass a complete national abortion ban. >> lawrence, this is the same body, the same republican u. s. senate members who won't even affirm our right to vote in this country but they're willing to do an all out, federal ban on abortion. that's what we are up against. so, if you are sitting here wondering, if this impacted you, if this affects you, it does. if you care about environmental rights, if you care about reproductive freedom, reproductive rights, then you need to join us in this conversation around what it means to access the ballots, and you need to exercise that right in november, because everything is on the ballot this november. we have seen today how far republicans are willing to go in this country, 13 states had a trigger ban, that essentially have already banned abortion. so, don't buy it, when people tell you, today they didn't ban abortion, they just reverted it back to the states. but look at the states and what they are doing. states already had bans in

place, and this is where we are in georgia, this is where we are in so many states across the country, and so much more is on the way, lawrence. >> the president today, at the end of his statement, said today that basically, voting is the only solution. that's gonna be kind of disappointing recommendation tonight when lives are changing tonight? >> so voting is not our only solution, lawrence, but voting is a great solution. we have an opportunity to change the leaders who put us in this predicament, but we also have passed the women's health protection act in the house, and that's, that's it in the senate. so we have an option there. else have a resolution right now reaffirming our rights to reproductive freedom and not criminalize people seeking care. so we have legislative options, and we're gonna do everything we can. >> georgia representative nikema williams, thank you very much for joining our coverage tonight. really appreciate it. >> thank you, lawrence. >> nikema williams gets tonight 's last word. the 11th hour with stephanie

ruhle starts now. >> how do they have the right to tell me or any woman what how do they have the right to tell me or any woman which she can >> it's not their choice -- this is not what they should be allowed to make for themselves. do >> it's a slap in the face to it women. for themself. >> it's a slap in the face to women. i want nothing more -- but i want to have been on my own terms. >> it feels like a betrayal. feels like my country doesn't love me -- ♪ ♪ ♪ >> good evening once again. i am stephanie ruhle. tonight, protesters are out in the streets across the country, after the unprecedented supreme court decision, ending roe v. wade. 50 years after it became law. demonstrations have been growing ever since the ruling was announced this morning. five of the courts conservatives voted to overturn roe. samuel alito who is a draft opinion was leaked last month, wrote in his final decision

that roe was egregiously wrong from the start. the ruling automatically clears the way for abortion bans in 13 states. at least six states have already put them into effect. and there are concerns about what this may mean for court decisions on contraception, and gay rights. justice clarence thomas says those should be up for review as well. we've got a lot to cover tonight, but i want to begin with my friend and colleague, morrow barrick, our nbc news reporter. she's on the ground, at the supreme court, all day long. morrow, you have been among the protesters for hours. what are they telling you? and what's their goal? >> stephanie, for nearly 12 hours, we saw this area ahead of the supreme court, completely filled, the start of the day with a tension between two groups of protesters, representing both sides of the arguments around abortion rights. and then, it grew to fill this entire street that i'm standing in front of, nearly more than 1000 people, i would say, here at one point.

you see everyone kind of