By BRIAN A. HOWEY, in Indianapolis
1. SCOTUS consigns Roe to 'ash heap': For the first time in history, the United States Supreme Court rolled back the constitutional right to an abortion. It comes just weeks before the Indiana General Assembly convenes in a special session set for July 6 to pass a $1 billion tax rebate, but will almost certainly entertain additional abortion restrictions. In the 6-3 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the court ruled: "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” In a solo concurring opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas: "In the future, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswald, Lawrence and Obergfell." Those are rulings that protect contraception, same-sex relationships and same-sex marriage. CNN: The bombshell decision is set to upend races across the country as governors, attorneys general and other state and local leaders gain new powers to decide when abortion will be permitted, if at all, and who should be prosecuted and potentially incarcerated when bans take effect. Indiana Public Media's Brandon Smith: "The question now in Indiana is not whether state lawmakers will ban abortion. They will. Probably by the end of July. The only question is whether Republicans will allow any exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the pregnant person."