Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) spoke on the Senate floor today, marking the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade and shifted abortion policy decisions to state legislatures.

“Madam President, today marks the third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade and returning the question of abortion to the people and their elected representatives,” Thune said in his remarks.

Thune noted that since Dobbs, several states have introduced new legal protections for unborn children, leading to more babies being born who might not have survived under previous laws. “New protections for unborn Americans now exist in many states, and there are babies alive today who would not be here without Dobbs,” he stated.

However, Thune acknowledged ongoing divisions across states regarding abortion laws. He referenced data from the Guttmacher Institute indicating that more than one million abortions occurred in the United States in 2024. “Other states have enacted aggressively pro-abortion laws, and the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute reports that there were over a million abortions in the United States in 2024,” Thune said.

He emphasized his belief that more work is needed to achieve full legal protection for all Americans regardless of age or vulnerability. “And so we still have a lot of work to do to reach a day when every American, born and unborn, enjoys the full protection of the law.”

Thune also commented on anticipated responses from Democratic lawmakers regarding this anniversary: “Madam President, I’m sure my Democrat colleagues have plans to commemorate the Dobbs anniversary – not as a day that opened the door to protections for human rights, but as a day that opened the door to restrictions on Democrats’ most cherished ‘freedom’ – and that’s the freedom to kill unborn human beings.”

He continued by criticizing Democratic priorities: “And I have to say, it’s a pretty grim indictment of the moral health of a party, when one of its signature issues is promoting the right to kill the youngest and most vulnerable Americans.”

Concluding his remarks, Thune expressed optimism about future progress: “But I am confident that we can get there. And I look forward to the day when the life of every American, born and unborn, is protected – and when being small and vulnerable does not mean that your human rights are any less respected.”