Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Dem Rep. Ominously Warns Of 'Handmaid's Tale-Type Regulation' After SCOTUS Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade Leaks

Dem Rep. Ominously Warns Of 'Handmaid's Tale-Type Regulation' After SCOTUS Opinion Overturning Roe V. Wade Leaks
MSNBC

Democratic Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland issued an ominous warning of "Handmaid's Tale-type regulation" after a leaked draft opinion indicated the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization will move to strike down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark decision that protects a pregnant woman's right to choose reproductive healthcare without excessive government restriction.

Raskin noted Roe v. Wade hinged on the right to privacy and the erosion of that right, which is not explicitly outlined in the United States Constitution, "would appear to be an invitation to have Handmaid's Tale type anti-feminist regulation and legislation all over the country."


You can hear what Raskin said in the video below.

The Handmaid's Tale, a novel by Canadian author Margaret Atwood, was written at the height of the Reagan administration and satirized political, social, and religious trends of the 1980s.

Raskin's remarks were rife with alarm, likening the death knell of abortion rights to the rise of a society like Gilead, the one depicted in the novel, in which women are forced to bear children against their will.

The Handmaid's Tale, published in 1985, was inspired at least in part by the islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979. That overthrow of the Shah's rule saw a theocracy established that subjugated women in a strict patriarchal society, gutted female agency and individuality in addition to reproductive rights and limited all the other ways women can assert their independence.

The novel was adapted into an award-winning series by Hulu, which won actress Elisabeth Moss two Emmys in 2017 for acting in and producing it. A sequel novel,The Testaments, was released in September 2019. The Testaments is unconnected to Hulu's adaptation and features the testimonials of three female narrators from Gilead.

Raskin noted the end of Roe v. Wade would signal the fall of rulings like Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which largely affirmed the precedent established by Roe, and Griswold v. Connecticut, which cites the right to privacy in safeguarding a woman's right to privacy in regard to contraception.

He said:

"[Roe falling] would apply presumably to the right to privacy in contraception and we know of course there is a right-wing war on contraception now."
"But if Casey is to fall, if Roe v. Wade is to fall, then Griswold v. Connecticut presumably is to fall as well because the words 'contraception' and 'birth control' don''t appear in the Constitution."
"Indeed the phrase 'right to privacy' doesn't appear in the Constitution so this would appear to be an invitation to have Handmaid's Tale-type anti-feminist regulation and legislation all over the country."

Raskin went on to add the leaked draft majority opinion "situates the trajectory of the American right," pointing to often inflammatory coverage from organizations like Fox News, which have served to make the reproductive rights debate one of the seminal debates of the ongoing culture wars.

He later took to Twitter to reiterate a remark he made on the air about Republicans planning to "usher in" an "illiberal democracy" in the style of the right-wing Hungarian populist Viktor Orban.

Many have echoed Raskin's concerns and have called on Democrats and allies to act.



The Supreme Court has confirmed the draft opinion is "authentic" but says "it does not represent a decision by the court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case."

Chief Justice John Roberts said the leak signals a "betrayal of the confidences of the Court" but insisted while it was "intended to undermine the integrity of our operations, it will not succeed."

More from Trending

Donald Trump; Kamala Harris and Joe Biden
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images; Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Trump Bashed Biden And Harris To Kids At White House Easter Egg Roll—And Their Reaction Is All Of Us

President Donald Trump insulted former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday and the children in attendance had the reaction you'd expect.

At one point during the event, Trump was seated at a table with several children, assisting them with coloring and autographing some of their artwork. Then he used the opportunity to bring up the autopen again.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump speaks next to the Easter bunny at the Easter Egg Roll
Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Clip Of Trump Raging About Iran As He's Standing Next To The Easter Bunny Is Going Viral For Its Sheer Absurdity

The sheer absurdity of President Donald Trump speaking to a crowd about his war in Iran as he stood next to the Easter Bunny ahead of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll hits a certain way just a couple of days after Trump threatened to decimate the country's infrastructure.

On Sunday, Trump lashed out at Iran amid growing concerns about tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow passage at the entrance to the Persian Gulf that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply. Recently, Iran has struck several vessels in the area and warned ships against entering the passage, effectively halting traffic through one of the world’s most crucial energy routes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Lisa Kudrow (left) reflects on feeling like “the sixth Friend” as the Friends cast (right) rose to global fame.
Samir Hussein/WireImage; Getty Images

Lisa Kudrow Reveals Feeling Overlooked After Talent Agents Referred To Her As 'The Sixth Friend'

Even at the height of Friends mania, when the cast was redefining ensemble stardom, Lisa Kudrow says some of her own representatives still managed to treat her like an afterthought.

The Friends star, who spent 10 seasons as the quirky and unconventional Phoebe Buffay, recently admitted she felt overlooked within the ensemble. Reflecting on the experience in a Saturday interview with The Independent, Kudrow said that even as the show exploded in its second season, her career prospects didn’t shift in any meaningful way.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gail Simmons
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for BAFTA

'Top Chef' Judge Gail Simmons Reveals How She Covered Up Massive Bruise For Filming After Bashing Her Face On Boulder

Usually, Hollywood's best makeup skills are reserved for creating gruesome facial injuries. But in Top Chef judge Gail Simmons' case, it's been the other way around.

Simmons recently revealed just how much Hollywood magic has gone into her on-camera appearance of late after she suffered major facial injuries after a fall.

Keep ReadingShow less
screenshots of Savannah Guthrie's return to "Today"
@people/Instagram

Savannah Guthrie In Tears While Visiting With Fans On 'Today' Show Plaza In Emotional Return

On Monday morning, Today show co-anchor Savannah Guthrie returned to her spot on the program, filmed in Studio 1A at Rockefeller Center in New York City, for the first time since her mother, Nancy Guthrie, was abducted from her home in Tucson, Arizona, in the early hours of February 1.

She acknowledged her absence by saying:

Keep ReadingShow less