House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasted the Supreme Court's ruling Friday overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "an evisceration of Americans' rights" and a "slap in the face of women."
Watch Pelosi's remarks in the player above.
Speaking at the U.S. Capitol Friday, Pelosi warned: "Republicans are plotting a nationwide abortion ban. They cannot be allowed to have a majority in the Congress to do that."
Pelosi said Democrats "will keep fighting ferociously to enshrine Roe v Wade into law of the land."
READ: The Supreme Court's full opinion overturning Roe v. Wade
The Speaker's comments came as the Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years in a decision by its conservative majority to overturn Roe v. Wade. The outcome is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states.
The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump.
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.
It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls.