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Supreme Court Overturns Roe, Leaving States Free To Ban Abortion; Truck Drives Through Abortion Rights Protest In Cedar Rapids; Biden Heads To Germany For G7 Summit; Protests In Cities Across U.S. As Roe v. Wade Is Overturned; Supreme Court Decision Already Affecting Minority Women; GA Supreme Court Overturns Conviction In 2014 Hot Car Death Case. Aired 1-2p ET

Aired June 25, 2022 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:00:51]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN HOST: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me from New York today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Right now, protesters are gathering once again outside the U.S. Supreme Court following Friday's historic ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. The decision stripping away constitutional protections for abortion that women have had for nearly 50 years and now leaving it up to states to decide whether abortion should be legal within their borders.

At least 26 states are either poised to or have already banned abortion. The ruling cheered by anti-abortion supporters after decades of fighting. But a broad majority of Americans disagreeing with that ruling. In a CNN poll conducted just weeks ago, 66 percent of Americans said they did not want the Supreme Court to completely overturn Roe v. Wade. CNN has reporters on the ground covering this seismic decision.

Let's go first to CNN is Joe Johns outside the U.S. Supreme Court where I know it's very noisy. A lot of people there, Joe, what are you seeing?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: It is noisy, Fred. And we have seen a lot of chanting, a bit of confrontation because there have been people here on both sides of this issue yelling at each other, it has been largely peaceful. Talking to people in the crowd, you get a real sense of what brought them and a sense that they come from both near and far. It was very easy to find a woman who flew up here from Dallas this morning.

Another woman who flew up here from Sarasota, Florida last night. Let's listen to what some of these folks had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We already walked this walk once and here we have to come back because of my daughter and all of the other people in the world this affects. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yesterday I was furious and normally I participate (INAUDIBLE) because this one feels different. This one feels different. This one is currently important because this is -- it's just the beginning. They're taking away our choices one at a time. It's not about babies.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JOHNS: It's interesting that, you know, one woman I talked to said it was a sense of shock even though she had heard about and seen the leaked Alito opinion even before it was delivered by the court. She said she was surprised because she never thought the court would actually do this. It has been peaceful again, law enforcement has been well prepared. This crowd is a bit smaller than yesterday, but still quite noisy. Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Indeed. All right, Joe Johns, thanks so much outside that Supreme Court. Let's go to Mississippi now. Nadia Romero is there. She's outside Mississippi's only abortion clinic and it is still operating in that state. But what is happening?

NADIA ROMERO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it has been a very confrontational day all day. And as it gets further along for the day, and the temperatures rise, the tension seemed to rise. I want you to take a look right outside. You can see there's much more police presence here than what we had earlier today. There's one traffic enforcement officer, one just left.

And what's happening here is that on the other side of the street, so as you come along North State, you make a right here, right behind me, you turn into the abortion clinic, there's a driveway where patients have been coming in all morning where one of the anti-abortion protesters decided to block that driveway and jam up traffic all the way down the street and on the street here.

So, State Police came out, Jackson Police, other off -- law enforcement officers came out to try to clear traffic and bring down the tension. And the goal for those protesters was to stop traffic and take flyers like this one. And then this is the least graphic of the bunch and take them, slap them on the windshield of someone trying to go into the clinic telling them that they don't need to do it. They don't have to have an abortion. There are other options.

But then when those women get leave the clinic after they've had their procedure, the conversation changes, telling them that they're going straight to hell that they are an abomination and things roll up again. So, that's what we're seeing here at the clinic. I went inside and I spoke with the adoption provider.

[13:05:01]

ROMERO: And I asked him what's next. You've got the next 10 days or so before the law certified in Mississippi. What happens next and here was his hopeful answer.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This really is not sustainable, to take away the constitutional rights to do this to women. So, I'm hopeful that at some point, either through the, you know, the government getting an agreement to codify a law, that this will, you know, be overturned, but until then, so what will I do personally? I'll probably traveled to New Mexico and provide services there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROMERO: So the only reason why he lives in the state of Mississippi was to provide abortions for women he believes who needed it is their health care right. Now he's going to go to another state to continue his practice. He says he is not a baby killer, that he is having abortions for fetuses that were not viable outside of the womb. He doesn't like being called that, he has been threatened with death, he has been followed.

And that's why he didn't want to have his name or face on our air. You would think at this point, Fred, that people here would be happy that this would be victorious for the anti-abortion protesters. They won. They got the ruling that they wanted not only getting the 15-week ban in Mississippi, but having Roe v. Wade overturned was more than they ever thought what happened. But that isn't the spirit of the anti abortion protesters we're encountering here in Jackson. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Nadia, thank you so much. Let's go to Los Angeles now. Camila Bernal is there. And Camila, you were walking with dozens of people who were blocking streets yesterday. What's the scene today?

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we expect a similar scene here. But maybe later on it is still early here on the West Coast. And yet already there is a large group of protesters, dozens have been gathering for the last hour or so. They were making a lot of the signs kind of getting ready for the day. But as you can see, the crowd is getting larger and larger by the minute.

You see those signs, my body is my own. Regulate guns, not women. There are women and men here who are starting to gather because they say they want to send a message and it's that they stand with the people that are in other states because they know that here in the state of California, abortion is protected. Governor Gavin Newsom yesterday signing a bill sort of saying that this is where California stands, that we are going to protect women in the state of California.

And so, a lot of these women have been here today and yesterday. We were marching all around this downtown area. And even as you mentioned, Fred, into the 110 Highway. We were there for say 15, 20 minutes until LAPD kind of closed off the highway so that the protesters could be pushed back into the streets of downtown Los Angeles. So it is likely that these protesters will start marching around the downtown L.A. area later on today.

But as I mentioned, a lot of them at the moment just gathering here at a park. I think it is also very important to point out that there are a lot of people on the other side of the issue despite the fact that California is a state that protects abortions. I spoke to one activist who was celebrating the Supreme Court decision and what she was telling me was that she and her group is going to have a lot more work in the state of California moving forward.

She pointed to people who are going to come to the state of California to get an abortion here. They call it an abortion vacation. And of course they are standing against all of that and against what all of these people here are protesting. So as you can see, we're starting to walk but we'll keep you updated as to what's going to happen the rest of the day. But this group, of course wanting to make their message very clear. Fred?

WHITFIELD: All right. Camila in Los Angeles, Nadia in Mississippi, Joe Johns in D.C. thanks to all of you. Appreciate it.

All right, a violent confrontation in Iowa at a protest over the court's ruling, a truck appearing to push through a group of protesters in Cedar Rapids, with one person falling to the ground after making contact with the vehicle. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD (voice over): Oh my gosh. Police said verbal confrontations took place between the protesters. The mayor of Rapid City issued a release following the incident saying we all have a right to our opinions but we must act in a peaceful and respectful manner.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: The protester or went to the hospital for evaluation and police are continuing in their investigation. Right here to talk more about the legal ramifications of the court's decision, Vice Dean of the USC Law School for -- law school, Franita Tolson. Dean, so good to see you. So, the Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade has now left the decision of abortion up to the states. President Biden says he'll use all the tools necessary to ensure a woman's right to choose.

[13:10:04]

WHITFIELD: But realistically what can the federal government do at this point to protect abortion access?

FRANITA TOLSON, VICE DEAN, USC LAW SCHOOL: There are certainly things that the federal government can do. So for example, yesterday, the attorney general came out and said that states cannot prevent individuals from taking an FDA-approved drug that would induce abortions, even in states where abortion is prohibited. Now, of course, that will be challenged legally, and the court might be hostile to that.

But in fact, the court is probably going to be hostile to any federal government efforts to try to protect a woman's right to choose. So I mean, that's just the legal landscape. But that does not mean that the federal government shouldn't try. For example, the Hyde Amendment bars federal funding for abortions. They could overturn that and start paying for abortions. They can license clinics that are involved in interstate commerce to have abortions. Right?

So there are certainly things that the federal government both the president and Congress can do to address the current state of affairs.

WHITFIELD: Justice Thomas wrote that based on this decision, the court should reexamine cases involving contraception, same sex marriage, he is making a bold statement of the direction in which he would like to go based on precedent and overturning decisions. Do you believe that yesterday's decision of overturning Roe v. Wade essentially opens the floodgates to reversing press precedent in other cases?

TOLSON: Yes. So, one of the interesting things about the conversation around Roe versus Wade, and the decision, Casey that came after it is that, you know, it would be nice to think about those decisions in a silo where if the court just overturns Roe versus Wade then it only has an impact on abortion, but that's not true. Roe versus Wade came on top of precedents in the 1960s that protected a right of privacy.

And in fact, when I teach Roe versus Wade, I tell my students, the question really is, is there a right of privacy, broad enough to protect a woman's right to choose to terminate her pregnancy? As opposed to treat it as just being about abortion. And in fact, there are later decisions that build on that line of precedent. So you have the Griswold privacy decision in the 1960s. You have Roe in the 70s.

But you also have Obergefell, the recent case that upheld same sex marriage. You also have Lawrence vs. Texas which recognizes a right of sexual autonomy. All of these precedents are threatened under Justice Thomas's approach and arguably under the majority's approaches well because Roe cannot be a decision that we view as standing alone.

WHITFIELD: The topic of Roe v. Wade, you know, has come up in the confirmation hearings for the justices who decided to overturn it. Here's what they said at the time.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BRETT KAVANAUGH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: It is an important precedent of the Supreme Court. By it, I mean, Roe v. Wade, and Planned Parenthood versus Casey been reaffirmed many times. Casey is precedent on precedent, which itself is an important factor.

NEIL GORSUCH, ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES: The Supreme Court of the United States has held in Roe vs. Wade that a fetus is not a person for purposes, the 14th Amendment. And the book explains that.

SEN. DICK DURBIN (D-IL): Do you accept that?

GORSUCH: That's the law of the land. I accept the law of the land, Senator. Yes.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So, both Senator Collins and Manchin have, you know, since expressed -- since yesterday expressed their disappointment. They felt that, you know, Kavanaugh And Gorsuch have misled them based on what was said during the hearings. And now, what their decisions were yesterday.

In any way, could those justices, Kavanaugh and Gorsuch, you know, face any kind of ramifications whatsoever for perhaps being less than honest about upholding what they -- what they said during the hearings, during their confirmation hearings?

TOLSON: I don't think so. And I would actually caution against that, right? So, Supreme Court confirmation hearings are the equivalent of going to see a show on Broadway, right? It's performative, it's theater. The idea that those senators actually took these justices at their word, maybe they didn't, maybe they did. And I just -- I find it very hard to believe that, you know, I found it very hard to credit those statements when these particular judges were put forth for purposes of overturning Roe versus Wade.

Right? That hasn't been a secret. And so, I do believe that justices say what they need to say during these hearings in order to get confirmed. And that's been true for almost 30 years. And so, the reality is that we live in a situation where we have to think about appointing justices that are more reflective of where America is as a country. And we have to be very realistic about the fact that judges have their views and those views are their views, even when they get confirmed on the court.

And even when they're testifying in their hearings, testifying in that space doesn't change what they believe. They just say what they need to say to get confirmed.

[13:15:03]

WHITFIELD: All right. Vice Dean Franita Tolson, good to see you. Thank you so much.

TOLSON: You too. Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Still ahead. Damning testimony from the January 6 hearings this week, including the revelation that Trump campaign tried to create fake electors in attempt to keep him in office. More on that next.

Plus, the Georgia Supreme Court is overturning a murder charge for a father that left his toddler in a sweltering hot car. I'll talk with one of the leading prosecutors who secured the murder conviction straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: All right. Welcome back. A source tells CNN Arizona Republican Party chair Kelli Ward and her husband Michael are the latest subpoena targets of a federal investigation into fake slates of electors. The DOJ is ramping up its investigation of a scheme by former President Trump and his allies to create slit aides of so called fake electors to keep Trump in power following his 2020 election loss. CNN's Sara Murray has more.

[13:20:10]

SARA MURRAY, CNN POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The Justice Department escalating its criminal probe into the fake electoral scheme.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For President Donald J. Trump of the state of Florida number of votes 11.

MURRAY: Federal investigators are pursuing information in seven battleground states Trump loss in 2020. But were his allies put forward fake electors anyway to try to help Trump overturn the results.

DAVID SHAFER, GEORGIA REPUBLICAN PARTY CHAIRMAN: The great State of Georgia --

(CROSSTALK)

MURRAY: Among those subpoena Georgia Republican Party Chairman David Shafer. Sources tell CNN. The electors plot a recurring theme in the House Select committee's January 6 hearings.

REP. LIZ CHENEY (R-WY): We've seen how President Trump worked with and directed the Republican National Committee and others to organize an effort to create fake electoral slates and later to transmit those materially false documents to federal officials.

MURRAY: Congressional investigators laying out how the former president roped the Republican National Committee into his plans.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What did the president say when he called you?

RONNA MCDANIEL, RNC CHAIRWOMAN: Essentially he turned the call over to Mr. Eastman who then proceeded to talk about the importance of the RNC helping the campaign gather these contingent electors.

MURRAY: All while Trump and his allies tried to convince swing state Republicans to supplant the electors for Joe Biden and make way for Trump. In Arizona, State House Speaker Rusty Bowers testified he got calls from Trump, Attorney John Eastman and Congressman Andy Biggs.

REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): And what did Mr. Biggs ask you to do?

RUSTY BOWERS, SPEAKER, ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: He asked if I would sign on both to a letter that had been sent from my state and/or that I would support the decertification of the electors and I said I would not.

MURRAY: In Pennsylvania a barrage of calls from Trump's attorneys to State House Speaker Bryan Cutler.

RUDY GIULIANI, FORMER TRUMP CAMPAIGN MANAGER: Mr. Speaker, this is Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis. We're calling you together because we'd like to discuss obviously the election. JENNA ELLIS, FORMER ATTORNEY FOR FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Mr. Speaker, this is Jenna Ellis and I'm here with Mayor Giuliani.

MURRAY: In Michigan, a plan allegedly floated by a Trump campaign official for fake electors to hide overnight in the state capitol. Michigan Republican electors were planning to meet in the Capitol and hide overnight so that they could fulfill the role of casting their vote. I told him in no uncertain terms that that was insane and inappropriate.

MURRAY: Officials like Bowers, Cutler and Cox refuse to go along with Team Trump's plans. But across the country, some 100 others complied, signing bogus electors slates that are now the focus of a criminal probe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MURRAY: Now a number of these fake electors including at least one who spoke to the January 6 committee said they believe these so-called alternate slates of electors would only be put forward if Trump succeeded in his legal challenges. Of course, now we know that Trump and his allies barreled forward with this plan, even when it was clear their challenges were not going to succeed in court. Sara Murray, CNN, Washington.

WHITFIELD: All right. Let's talk more about all of this. Here to talk about it, Page Pate. He is a criminal defense and constitutional attorney. Page, good to see you. Wow. I mean, this is extraordinary. Is it not? I mean, what kind of potential legal charges could these face -- fake electors actually face?

PAGE PATE, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Well, Fred, we've heard a lot of discussion about potential legal exposure and not just for the electors, but for the people that we're involved in getting these electors selected, chosen and eventually sending this slate up to the vice president, up to the National Archives. We're looking at potential false statement charges, potential obstruction charges, and potential seditious conspiracy charges.

A lot of it will depend on the evidence that's being developed right now, subpoenas have gone out, search warrants have been issued. So once the Justice Department gathers all that they'll sort through it, see if there's sufficient evidence to prove one of those charges.

WHITFIELD: Do you see that it's possible that the former President Trump could face charges for his role in this false electors plot?

PATE: Fred, I do think it's possible. And here's why. I mean, there was so much legal news this week that I think a lot of people may have overlooked. What is probably the single most significant thing that has happened so far in the January 6 Committee hearings. And that was something that was not in the committee itself, but the search warrant that was executed at the residence of Jeffrey Clark.

He is a former top level Justice Department official. To get that search warrant, a federal judge had to find that there's probable cause that a crime has been committed. This is not like a subpoena. A subpoena is when we're investigating to see if there's a crime that's been committed. When a search warrant is issued there's probable cause there's been a crime. We're just trying to get the evidence to prove who did it.

[13:25:01]

PATE: So I think the fact that they are now focusing on Jeffrey Clark and people very close to the president during these pivotal days right around January 6 suggested this investigation is far from over.

WHITFIELD: And that raid was happening on the very day that we heard from top DOJ officials and they helped to shed light on Trump's attempts to weaponize the Justice Department to overturn the election. What was most striking about that day of testimony to you?

PATE: Well, Fred, they didn't do it. They convinced the president not to put Clark in charge, otherwise, there was going to be mass resignations at the Department of Justice. This was a situation where I think Trump loaded the gun but didn't pull the trigger.

There's no question in my mind if he had actually put Clark in charge. And Clark had set that draft letter, the state officials in Georgia and elsewhere saying, look, DOJ thinks that there was fraud in this election. We've got serious concerns. None of that was true.

But if Trump put him in place where he could send that letter out, then I think that strong evidence that there was at that point, at least an attempt to corruptly obstruct an official proceeding. So, it's very significant that these Justice Department people wouldn't go along with it. Because I think that single decision kept us from being in a much worse place than we are today.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Their testimonies were very powerful earlier this week. And of course, the hearings resumed later on in June. Thank you so much, Page Pate.

PATE: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. President Biden is turning his attention now to the war in Ukraine. Right now he is on route to Europe for a week of summits, focusing on keeping allies united against Russia. A live report from Austria next.

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[13:31:14]

WHITFIELD: A key city in eastern Ukraine is completely under Russian occupation according to the head of the city's military. It follows months of grueling and bloody fighting in the area.

The situation in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda when leaders of the G-7 meet in Germany this weekend. President Biden left Washington and is now on his way.

CNN's M.J. Lee joining us now.

So, M.J., what do we expect out of these meetings?

M.J. LEE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, after a very consequential week in Washington, the president is now in the air, he is headed to Europe to attend the two global major summits.

Of course, the first of those is the G-7 summit in Germany. And what is looming large, of course, over this entire week is the war in Ukraine.

As you said, as the president and his global leader allies, they try to continue putting up this unified front against Russia and Russia's continued aggression in Ukraine.

And one of the highlights of this week is going to be seeing this virtual address from the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Just goes to show that these global leaders are wanting to give him back that kind of spotlight on the global stage.

Now, U.S. officials have said that they are going to be announcing new steps during the G-7 to take on Russia.

And one of the things that we've learned in the last hour or so is that one of the initiatives that will be announced is an import ban on new gold from Russia.

Now, the other big issue that will be up for debate during this week while the president is here is the impact that the Ukraine war has had on the global economy.

Of course, back at home, the president has dealt with the challenge of high prices, inflation, affecting everything from gas prices to food prices. And the Russia aggression in Ukraine has been a huge factor in all of that.

So, Fred, just goes to show, yes, the president is going to be very much focused on foreign policy. He is going to be spending time away from Washington for several days.

But, a big reminder that these foreign policy issues, particularly again the war in Ukraine, is very closely tied to very important domestic issues at home -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: M.J. Lee, in Austria, thank you so much.

Coming up, the reversal of Roe v. Wade will impact millions of American women but experts say it will disproportionately effect women of color. A closer look at that, next.

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[13:38:19]

WHITFIELD: All right, live pictures right now in Nashville, where a pro-abortion rally is underway. People making posters, people gathering. It is just one of several cities where protesters over the Supreme Court's ruling are happening today.

CNN's Camila Bernal is in Los Angeles. And Joe Johns is at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Joe, to you first.

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fred. This is crowd in front of the United States Supreme Court. A large crowd but, by the way, not necessarily as large as the crowd that was here last night.

A variety of emotions being expressed. A lot of people very angry about what the Supreme Court did yesterday. Even though it was very much expected, given the fact that the Alito opinion had a been leaked days and days beforehand.

Interesting also to note that, among the people that I've talked to here in the crowd, one, a woman from Dallas, made the point that she said, looking, this about more than just Roe v. Wade, more than just about abortion.

It is about the whole bundle of rights that have been accumulated by Americans by and through the Supreme Court over the years, things like contraception, and so on, privacy, things that Americans very much treasure, but are not mentioned in the United States Constitution.

So, this rally continues. It has started to grow over the last couple of hours. We're seeing more people, not less.

Fred, back to you.

WHITFIELD: Joe Johns in Washington.

Camila, in Los Angeles, what is the scene there?

(CHANTING)

CAMILA BERNAL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's a lot of chanting going on. There's also a large group of people outside of city hall. You could hear their chants echo through the downtown area.

[13:40:08]

There are many women here and men supporting them, families, children. You could see the signs, they're passion. They have been here just about 30 minutes. But more and more people continue to come here.

And they're essentially giving the mic to anyone who wants to talk between their chanting.

And the message that I'm hearing constantly is that these women and really this community stands with women in other states that cannot and do not have the right to an abortion. So they're thankful that the state of California protects abortion.

But they want to support other women in other states. That has been the message repeated over and over again by this group.

So really, just a very emotional and passionate group here. And they say they will continue to be here throughout the day, Fred. So we will, of course, keep you posted with what happens next.

WHITFIELD: Camilla, in Los Angeles, Joe in D.C., thank you to both of you. Appreciate it.

So the court's decision is already changing the lives of women all across the country.

CNN's Amara Walker spoke to a single mom in Jackson, Mississippi, who decided to seek an abortion, but ran out of time.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA FURDGE, PRO-CHOICE, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: Yes.

AMARA WALKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There's no mistaking this mother's dedication to her three young boys. Handwritten Post-It notes can be found in every room of their homes guiding and encourage them.

FURDGE: A lot of things that I tell them are the words that get me through parenting every day.

WALKER: Parenting for 34-year-old Amanda Furdge has been a journey filled with difficult decisions.

FURDGE: I get emotional talking about it because we been through so much. Even now we still go through things.

WALKER: She knows what it is like to be poor and pregnant. A single mom of one, escaping an abusive relationship, living on government assistance with limit the access to health care, she decided to seek an abortion. But she says she ran out of time.

FURDGE: I'm still dealing with the residue, emotionally and mentally and economically, of not being able to secure an abortion.

WALKER: Mississippi laws are already among the most restrictive when it comes to getting an abortion.

On top of that, when she first sought one out, Ferd said she was sent to an anti-abortion crisis pregnancy center. "A waste of time," she said.

And when she eventually found the right clinic, it was too late. So her second son, Mega, was born. He's now 7.

Furdge said she has no regrets and trying her best to raise three boys.

FURDGE: Hey, well, you're here now. Welcome to the family. This is how we're rolling.

That is Mega. Before there was Mega, there was Science.

WALKER: With Friday's Supreme Court announcement, a number of states are expected to further restrict access to abortion effecting millions across the country, a shift experts say will disproportionately effect women.

(SHOUTING)

WALKER: The Jackson Women's Health Organization, also known as the Pink House, is the last place offering legal abortions in Mississippi. It is named in the case. It has become ground zero for the abortion rights battle.

The opinion centered around the Mississippi 15-week ban on nearly all abortion. A leaked draft ruling in early May triggered nationwide protests.

(CHANTING)

FATIMA GOSS GRAVES, PRESIDENT & CEO, NATIONAL WOMEN'S LAW CENTER: It will be a decision that is rooted deeply in this country's history of racism.

WALKER: Activists like Fatima Goss Graves said the abortion ruling is especially damaging to poor women of color.

Black and Hispanic women made up roughly 59 percent of the people who reported legal abortions in the U.S. in 2019, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

And a recent report from the CDC found that black women are three times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy related cause.

GOSS GRAVES: It will be felt acutely in the black community, in other communities of color, and for people who have the least access to health care.

WALKER: In Mississippi, black people make up 38 percent of the population. But made up nearly three quarters of legal abortions in the state in 2019, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

STATE SEN. JOEY FILLINGANE (R-MS): Abortion is not illegal across the U.S. It is going to be returned to the states and the state legislatures will decide.

WALKER: Republican Mississippi State Senator Joey Fillingane insists this has nothing do with race and everything to do with state's rights.

(on camera): This would disproportionately impact black and brown women.

FILLINGANE: And it would disproportionately save black and brown children.

FURDGE: My biggest concern is that women are going to secure abortions but they won't be safe.

[13:45:01]

WALKER (voice-over): Furdge believes that abortion access is about saving lives.

FURDGE: Minority women are going to die. And minority women are going to go to jail. Because we're going to find ways to meet our needs.

WALKER: She vows to keep fighting for safe legal abortion access for all --

FURDGE: OK, let's see if it works.

WALKER: -- while simultaneously embracing her reproductive journey.

FURDGE: It is part of my healing process, too, is to be able to say, man, you really did not want to have that pregnancy, but you did it and now look.

WALKER: Amara Walker, CNN, Jackson, Mississippi.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:50:15]

WHITFIELD: Earlier this week, the Georgia Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Justin Ross Harris. Do you remember him? He was the father sentenced to life without parole for the hot car death of his 22-month-old son, Cooper.

The court stated that state evidence had an unfair prejudicial impact on the jury.

Harris was accused of intentionally leaving Cooper inside a hot car for seven hours. And on that same day, phone records show that he was sexting with six women, including a minor.

I want to bring in Jesse Evans for more on this.

In 2016, you were a member of the Cobb County district attorney team that secured conviction against Harris. You're now the chief assistant district attorney with Paulding County.

So what is your reaction to this ruling?

JESSE EVANS, CHIEF ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, PAULDING COUNTY, GA: I'm disappointed. We strongly disagree with the majority's decision. There were three dissenting justices who also disagreed and confirmed the conviction on all counts.

I respect the Supreme Court but we strongly disagree with the opinion.

WHITFIELD: So you disagree with the opinion that the state evidence on Harris' sexual communications and solicitations had an unfair, prejudicial impact on the jury? That's what the Supreme Court decided.

What do you do with that information and the way they have assessed what they believed to have been an unfair way to try and convict him?

EVANS: It's notable that every justice on the Supreme Court found that the evidence was legally sufficient for the jury to conclude that the defendant had maliciously left Cooper to die. That's not in dispute.

The sufficiency in the evidence, where there was a disagreement, was the amount or quantum of that evidence that was presented here. We believe the dissenting opinion was well-reasoned.

The next step, I know the motion to reconsider will be filed at some future date. And we will hope that my colleagues with the Cobb D.A..'s office vigorously assert that we should perhaps revisit this decision and look closer at the well-reasoned decision of the minority of the court.

WHITFIELD: Again, you're in a different county now, but your colleagues in Cobb County where you did serve have filed for that motion of reconsideration.

But what does that mean, reconsideration of the latest reversal or does it mean reconsideration of another trial?

EVANS: Yes, so the motion to reconsider would be a request that the Supreme Court reconsider the rationale of its opinion. That's the first starting step.

Then where we stand now, if there's no reconsideration, if there's no revisiting of that decision, then the charges have not been -- the murder charges involving Cooper have not entirely been thrown out. They technically would be pending again.

So my colleagues with cobb, we would trust that the Cobb County district attorney's office would continue to seek justice for Cooper no matter of the outcome of the motion to reconsider.

WHITFIELD: In your view, what does justice for Cooper look like?

EVANS: We believe the defendant was guilty of all counts, as did, notably, every Supreme Court justice in Georgia. We believe there was sufficient evidence to authorize a jury to conclude that Cooper was left to die.

We believe it was a jury question. The majority of the court said, if there are disputes, but that's why we have jury trials.

We believe that the evidence showed that this defendant maliciously left Cooper to die.

And as a minority dissenting opinion noted, all of that evidence should have been allowed to be presented to the jury so that they could reach their findings on malicious intent as well.

WHITFIELD: Jesse Evans, so glad you were able to join us. Thank you so much.

EVANS: Thanks for having me.

WHITFIELD: All right, pages from Brian Laundrie's notebook were released this week and the content, chilling. The attorney for the family of Brian Laundrie released eight pages from the notebook found near Laundrie's remains in Florida.

He wrote about Gabby Petito being injured and trying to help her, saying quote, "She was in extreme pain. I ended her life. I thought that was merciful. That is what she wanted. But I see now all the mistakes I made," unquote.

The Laundrie family attorney said he released the pages after meeting with the FBI and the attorney for Petito's family.

All right, thank you so much for being with me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield, in New York.

[13:55:02]

The CNN NEWSROOM continues with Jim Acosta in a moment.

But first, this quick programming note. You may know Arthur Ashe as a legendary tennis champion. But his legacy goes far beyond the court. Ashe used his public platform to condemn apartheid in South Africa, speak out about the AIDS crisis, and so much more.

Watch "CITIZEN ASHE" the new CNN film that premieres tomorrow at 9:00 p.m., right here on CNN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ARUTHUR ASHE, FORMER TENNIS CHAMPION: Everything is concentrated on the razor's edge. And you forget the score. You forget where you are. I feel like my body is floating within myself.

ANNOUNCER: Arthur Ashe, bright young member of the Davis Cup team --

ASHE: Some people say we're all brawn and no brains. I like to fight the myth.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He started becoming a citizen of the world.

ANNOUNCER: Arthur Ashe, the first black man to win the men's Wimbledon's singles title.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He had evolved from someone who was analytical to someone who became more about direct action.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: AIDS became another fight for Arthur. And he picked it up like he did every other cause.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He never forgot about his race. When I say his race, I'm talking about the human race.

ANNOUNCER: "CITIZEN ASHE" premieres tomorrow at 9:00 on CNN.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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