Republicans, anti-abortion groups celebrate Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade

House and Senate Republicans and anti-abortion rights groups on Friday celebrated the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling it a "historic victory for the Constitution."

Driving the news: The court ruled that the "Constitution does not confer a right to abortion" and overturned landmark abortion cases Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.

• This effectively ends all federal protections on abortion, meaning states can legally regulate or ban abortion at any point in a pregnancy.

Mitch McConnell

• Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement that the Supreme Court ruling is "courageous and correct" and a "historic victory for the Constitution and for the most vulnerable in our society."
• He added: “For 50 years, states have been unable to enact even modest protections for unborn children. ... Not anymore. Now the American people get their voice back."
• McConnell compared the decision to the high court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which found segregation unconstitutional and overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, saying, “The Court has corrected a terrible legal and moral error."

House GOP leadership

• House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R- La.) and Republican Conference Chairman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said in a joint statement: "We applaud this historic ruling, which will save countless innocent lives. Every unborn child is precious, extraordinary and worthy of protection."
• “The Supreme Court is right to return the power to protect the unborn to the people’s elected representatives in Congress and the states," the House GOP leadership said. "In the days and weeks following this decision, we must work to continue to reject extreme policies that seek to allow late-term abortions and taxpayer dollars to fund these elective procedures."

Marjorie Taylor Greene

• "I think it's a miracle," Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said in a video standing in front of the Supreme Court. "I'm so thrilled. I've cried about this. We've prayed about this. Everybody here is celebrating."
• "The Supreme Court had the courage," she added. "They had the bravery, overturning Roe v. Wade, giving it back to the states and hopefully this can be the beginning to the end of abortion."

Mitt Romney

• "The sanctity of human life is a foundational American principle, and the lives of our children — both born and unborn — deserve our protection," Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said in a statement. "I support the Court's decision, which means that laws regarding abortion will now rightfully be returned to the people and their elected representatives."

Liz Cheney

• "I have always been strongly pro-life," Sen. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) said on Twitter. "Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court returns power to the states and the people of the states to address the issue of abortion under state law."

Judicial Crisis Network

• Carrie Severino, the president of the conservative advocacy organization Judicial Crisis Network, said on Twitter that the Supreme Court has corrected "the most egregious judicial distortion of the Constitution in living memory."

• She added: "Now the people, through their elected representatives, are free to legislate as they will on this contested topic."

March for Life

• “For nearly fifty years, the Supreme Court has imposed an unpopular and extreme abortion policy on our nation," said Jeanne Mancini, president of the anti-abortion rights group March for Life, in a statement.
• "Today, the ability to determine whether and when to limit abortion was returned to the American people," Mancini said.
• "We recognize that this is just the beginning of our work to advance policies that protect life," she added. "We will continue to march until abortion is unthinkable because equality begins in the womb.”

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America

• Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said in a statement: “An entirely new pro-life movement begins today. We are ready to go on offense for life in every single one of those legislative bodies, in each statehouse and the White House. "
• “Today’s outcome raises the stakes of the midterm elections," Dannenfelser added. "Voters will debate and decide this issue and they deserve to know where every candidate in America stands."