WV Press News Sharing
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey issued the following statement after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey and returning the authority to regulate abortion to the states.
“This historic decision is long past due, although it took nearly 50 years to overturn several flawed Supreme Court decisions that have led to the tragic deaths of more than 60 million unborn children,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “I am proud to stand with those who agree that the law must afford the unborn the same rights as everyone, most especially the inviolable right to life. Our Constitution should never have been interpreted in a way that lets it override the states’ compelling interest to protect innocent life.”
“In the next few days, I will be providing a legal opinion to the Legislature about how it should proceed to save as many babies’ lives as humanly and legally possible,” Attorney General Morrisey added.
The law at the center of the Dobbs case was a Mississippi statute prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
In July 2021, Attorney General Morrisey joined a 24-state brief supporting life in the Dobbs case. The brief urged the Supreme Court to support the right of individual states to regulate abortion and promote the sanctity of life within their borders.