Megan Rapinoe 

US women's national team superstar Megan Rapinoe named the US Supreme Court's decision to strike down a woman's constitutional right to abortion "sad" and "cruel."

Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn Roe v Wade.  

This Friday, the Supreme Court voted 5-4 to overturn Roe v Wade, which is expected to lead to abortion bans in about half of Justice Samuel Alito's draft opinion was leaked, indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. The court's conservative majority supported it.

Megan Rapinoe lamented the large group of women affected by this resolution. Photo: AP/Ted S. Warren

Rapinoe was among the athletes who spoke out against the ruling.

"I wish we could talk football today, but obviously, with the Roe vs. Wade ruling taking precedence over everything, it's hard to put into words," Rapinoe said before Saturday's friendly between the USWNT and Colombia at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. in Commerce City, Colo. "How sad this day is for me, my teammates, and all the people this will affect.

"We know the lack of abortion doesn't stop people from having them. It stops people from having safe abortions. I encourage people to understand all the different implications that overturning Roe v Wade will have across the country. We don't. I can underestimate how sad and cruel this is. I think cruelty is the point because this is not pro-life."

In his final opinion, Alito wrote that the original 1972 and 1992 decisions that upheld it (Planned Parenthood v. Casey) were "wrong on the days they were decided and should be overturned."

Alito wrote that the authority to regulate with the political branches of government and not with the courts. The decision leaves it in the hands of the states.

Three of the court's liberal justices wrote in a joint dissent that the decision would bring "pain" to millions of American women who would lose a "fundamental constitutional protection."

National Women's Soccer League 

In a statement, the National Women's Soccer League wrote that the ruling "denies the people of this country the full freedom and equality that is the cornerstone of a just society."

The statement added: "Reproductive rights are human rights. Until everyone has the same freedoms as their neighbour, our work is not done. We will continue to make our voices heard."