Hakeem Jeffries: 'Anything can fall' after Supreme Court overturned right to abortion

WASHINGTON – The overturning of abortion rights could be a catalyst for sweeping changes to the country that puts Social Security, Medicare, voting rights and “democracy itself” at risk, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., argued as Democrats seize on the reproductive rights issue for the upcoming 2024 elections.

In an excerpt of an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” profiling the top House Democrat, Jeffries said abortion rights will “be an incredibly significant issue” in the 2024 elections “because on its own, it’s about freedom.”

“The extreme MAGA Republicans have set in motion the erosion of reproductive freedom,” Jeffries said in the interview, which is scheduled to air in full on Sunday night. “We’re gonna fight for it with everything that we’ve got at our disposal.”

The Supreme Court’s decision in 2022 to overturn Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion, resulted in sweeping restrictions to abortion access in some states. Since the high court’s decision, abortion rights, which continues to be a popular issue among voters, has carried Democrats to victories in federal and statewide elections.

Jeffries in the interview warned that the loss of the federal right to an abortion could just be the beginning, tying the issue to other key Democratic priorities on the campaign trail.

“If Roe v. Wade can fall, anything can fall. Social Security can fall. Medicare can fall. Voting rights can fall,” Jeffries said. “And God help us all, but democracy itself can fall.”

Democrats are hoping abortion rights will propel them to victory again in the elections. In the House, they need to flip a handful of Republican seats to reclaim the lower chamber which has often become roiled in turmoil and dysfunction since the GOP took control last year.

If Democrats take the House, Jeffries – the first Black American to lead a political party in Congress – could also become the first Black speaker of the House.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: House Democratic leader: Abortion is 'about freedom' in 2024 elections