Former US president Obama says abortion ruling "attack on freedom" of Americans

Former US President Barack Obama on Friday condemned the US Supreme Court ending constitutional protection for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years.

Obama said on Twitter that the decision is tantamount to an attack on freedoms for millions of Americans.

The court’s conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. The decision is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.

Three of the court’s liberal justices wrote in a joint dissent that the decision would bring “sorrow” for the many millions of American women who will be losing a “fundamental constitutional protection”.

The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years.

The decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade on Friday is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states. The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step.

Three of the court’s liberal justices wrote in a joint dissent that the decision would bring “sorrow” for the many millions of American women who will be losing a “fundamental constitutional protection”.