Report suggests Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade ruling
A draft opinion suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
WASHINGTON (AP) – A major Supreme Court ruling that has stood for nearly 50 years may now be reversed.
A draft opinion circulated among Supreme Court justices suggests earlier this year, a majority of them had thrown support behind overturning the 1973 case Roe v. Wade that legalized abortion nationwide.
That’s according to a report published Monday night in Politico. It’s unclear if the draft represents the court’s final word on the matter.
The news outlet published what was labeled as a “1st Draft” of the “Opinion of the Court” in a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on abortion after 15 weeks.
A Supreme Court spokeswoman said the court had no comment.
The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the draft, which if verified, marks a shocking revelation of the high court’s secretive deliberation process.
President Biden issued the following statement reacting to the release of a draft of the court’s opinion:
Statement by President Joe Biden
We do not know whether this draft is genuine, or whether it reflects the final decision of the Court.
With that critical caveat, I want to be clear on three points about the cases before the Supreme Court.
First, my administration argued strongly before the Court in defense of Roe v. Wade. We said that Roe is based on “a long line of precedent recognizing ‘the Fourteenth Amendment’s concept of personal liberty’… against government interference with intensely personal decisions.” I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned.
Second, shortly after the enactment of Texas law SB 8 and other laws restricting women’s reproductive rights, I directed my Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel’s Office to prepare options for an Administration response to the continued attack on abortion and reproductive rights, under a variety of possible outcomes in the cases pending before the Supreme Court. We will be ready when any ruling is issued.
Third, if the Court does overturn Roe, it will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a woman’s right to choose. And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November. At the federal level, we will need more pro-choice Senators and a pro-choice majority in the House to adopt legislation that codifies Roe, which I will work to pass and sign into law.
