"The decision by the Supreme Court today is in direct contrast to the majority of Americans' belief that women should be trusted to make decisions for their own bodies. Democrats will fight back against these restrictive laws and will work hard to replace lawmakers who would willingly put the lives of women in danger for their own craven desire for power. We will go to the polls on Aug. 4 and Nov. 8 and make our voices heard. We will not go back. Never vote for another Republican, ever." - Rachel Campbell, Hamilton County Democratic Party chair
"I have often said that abortion is a complicated and very personal decision. And I personally believe that we don't spend enough time on finding solutions to the reasons why some people have to have abortions. However, this ruling means that in Tennessee, all abortions will be criminalized, including for victims of rape and incest. Women should have the right to make their own, personal health care decisions. This is an unfortunate decision based on politics instead of established law and, according to the vast majority of polls, the will of people." - Tennessee House Minority Leader Karen Camper (D-Memphis)
"Make no mistake, abortions will still occur, but they will no longer be safe. Some will say that people can travel to other states, but not only does that further burden women without resources in an already difficult time, but it also fails to acknowledge that our rights are limited by an extremist Supreme Court and state legislature. As a physician, I also worry about how this impacts how we treat women in the hospital - how can I give someone the best medical care possible when medical decisions are no longer just between a woman and her doctor? Tennessee's trigger law will be detrimental to the health and safety of all Tennesseans, and we cannot let that stand." - Democratic candidate for Tennessee governor Dr. Jason Martin
"This decision is a direct assault on the rights of Tennesseeans. The court's interpretation of the Constitution on this issue is flawed and a direct insertion of political activism on the highest court in the land. This decision made by a conservative majority on the court will empower a radical majority serving in state legislatures across the country. Politicians will be even more emboldened by this decision to impose their most restrictive views on us. Today, an essential and lifesaving freedom was discarded by a court installed to protect it." - Hendrell Remus, chairman, Tennessee Democratic Party
"We are going to keep pushing back against anti-choice representatives and legislation any chance we get. The Tennessee Democratic Party will work to support pro-choice candidates and legislators as well as abortion rights groups in the state. We're prepared to fight for the safety and autonomy of Tennesseeans." - Brit Bender, executive director, Tennessee Democratic Party
"Overturning Roe will not stop abortions from happening. The wealthy will always be able to obtain an abortion. The impact of this decision will fall hardest on people of color, young people and people struggling to make ends meet - adding to the problem of inequality. It could also allow Republicans in states like Tennessee to target common forms of birth control - including the pill and I.U.D.s. Tennessee Senate Democrats will continue to fight back and advocate for policies that empower working and middle-class families. Hardworking families should have the opportunity and tools to build a good life and the right to decide if they want to start a family." - State Sen. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis
"Tennessee now has harsher abortion laws than the Taliban - this is fact, not hyperbole. Tennessee now gives more rights to a violent rapist than to the victim of a violent rapist. A rapist can choose the mother of their child, but a woman cannot choose not to have her rapist's baby. An 11-year-old victim of incest will be forced to have her rapist's baby." - State Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville
"The Supreme Court was once the place that Americans could turn to for justice. The women's movement, the civil rights movement, the disabled community and the LGBTQ community all turned to the high court to have their basic human rights affirmed. However today, politics overruled justice. Today, the black robes of the Supreme Court turned red and politics ruled the day." - Tennessee House Democratic Caucus Chairman Vincent Dixie
"I'm absolutely terrified that this is where we are - that after so many decades of people fighting for women's rights to their own bodies, today's decision has stripped us of that." - Taylor Swift, singer, Middle Tennessee
"With its decision in Dobbs, the Court has stripped American women of autonomy over their most personal health care decisions. The Court has given license to prosecute and imprison women for making the intensely personal decision to end a pregnancy - even when their health is at risk, even in the first hours or weeks after conception, and even when pregnancy results from rape - and to prosecute doctors and nurses whose private relationships with their patients have been protected by Roe v. Wade for half a century." - U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Georgia
"I've always believed a patient's room is too small a space for a woman, her doctor and the United States government. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade ends a core protection for women to make their own health care decisions, and is a departure from our American ideals to recognize and protect basic rights. This misguided decision is devastating for women and families in Georgia and nationwide." - U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia
(READ MORE: Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade; states can ban abortion)
(READ MORE: Reaction in Tennessee and Georgia from leaders welcoming the overturning of Roe v. Wade)