Foreign ministers from thirty NATO states unexpectedly discussed the U.S. Supreme Court this week during a luncheon held in conjunction with the military alliance’s annual meeting.
According to one of the two Americans present, at least four ambassadors in the room voiced their displeasure with the Supreme Court’s decision last week to overturn Roe v. Wade and eliminate the constitutional right to abortion.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Virginia), chairman of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, joined Secretary of State Antony Blinken and 29 other foreign ministers for the event.
Both men have voiced their disagreement with the Court’s ruling, although Connolly stated in an interview that he was surprised by the criticism from officials of friendly states.
“In diplomatic circles, individuals are typically reticent to criticize your internal domestic policies,” Connolly said, adding that in each of the four separate encounters, foreign ministers “started the dialogue” and “made a point of conveying with me their displeasure.”
Roe v. Wade is nullified by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court has voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the precedent-setting case that has upheld abortion rights for the past 50 years.
The incident harkened back to Donald Trump’s presidency when lawmakers and diplomats routinely fielded questions from foreign counterparts expressing concern, anxiety, and even outrage regarding the former president’s statements and behaviour.
President Joe Biden acknowledged at a press conference on Thursday that the Supreme Court’s recent actions have been “destabilizing,” whereas other lawmakers attending the NATO summit downplayed the impact of the abortion ruling on the summit.
After defeating Trump on a pledge to demonstrate to the rest of the world a more stable America, Biden now faces a high court that could make this task even more difficult.
Connolly cautioned that the Roe reversal risks harming U.S. credibility and reinforcing the view among many NATO allies that the U.S. cannot be trusted to uphold the 21st-century values that its leaders routinely promote elsewhere.
“All the assurances of ‘we’re back and ‘don’t look behind the curtain of the last four years’ are somewhat undermined by this,” Connolly remarked. It undermines faith in our system. And that’s pretty important when you’re tasked with helping to lead a military alliance against the big, bad Russians.”
Connolly refused to identify the foreign ministers who addressed the dinner. Eleven of the thirty NATO foreign ministers are women, and several NATO heads of state and government immediately issued statements affirming the right to abortion following Friday’s court decision. French officials have even stated their intent to codify abortion rights in the nation’s constitution.
At least as of Wednesday, according to a senior Biden administration official, leaders at the NATO summit had not brought up the issue of abortion.
Members of a separate bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, led by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), reported hearing little about the abortion issue from their Spanish counterparts since their arrival.
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), another member on the trip, stated that the senators have not even discussed the Roe v. Wade decision during their travels, in part because of its political radioactivity at home.
“I hold fairly strong opinions on the matter, as do several delegation members… This topic [abortion] probably divides us more than any other,” Coons said, adding, “If you want to represent our country well in a crucial moment for the future of NATO, focus on the things that unite us. When we return, we will have ample opportunity to express our strong disagreement.”
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Shaheen was asked at a NATO public forum on Wednesday if the U.S. has lost credibility on global women’s issues due to the Supreme Court decision.
Shaheen countered that the United States has been a leader in promoting women’s roles in foreign policy decision-making at the State Department and the Defense Department. She reaffirmed that she disagrees with the Court’s ruling and supports abortion rights.
Nausda’s staff that “these are values that are important to the United States, and even the Supreme Court, which is comprised of nine individuals, should not suggest otherwise… They do not mirror public opinion.”
“It is not just a United States decision. We have led the world in expanding the rights of women in a variety of ways, but not exclusively,” Durbin added. “I believe this [decision] calls our commitment in the future into question.”
