In what would quantity to an unprecedented leak in fashionable occasions, Politico on Monday evening printed what it mentioned was a draft opinion indicating the abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade would be overturned by the Supreme Court in a pending case later this 12 months.
The doc, reportedly authored by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated in February, suggests not less than 5 justices aspect with Mississippi in its case earlier than the courtroom difficult the landmark 1973 abortion ruling.
NBC News has not been in a position to independently confirm the authenticity of the doc, and the Supreme Court declined to remark.
“The Court has no comment,” Supreme Court spokeswoman Patricia McCabe mentioned in an announcement.
During oral arguments in December, the courtroom’s 6-3 conservative majority appeared poised to uphold Mississippi’s legislation banning almost all abortions after 15 weeks of being pregnant. The courtroom’s three liberal justices warned on the time that revoking abortion rights nationwide would paint the excessive courtroom as a political physique.
Advocacy teams on each side of the abortion rights debate reacted Monday evening to news of the draft opinion.
“This leaked opinion is horrifying and unprecedented, and it confirms our worst fears: that the Supreme Court is prepared to end the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Planned Parenthood health centers remain open, abortion is currently still legal, and we will continue to fight like hell to protect the right to access safe, legal abortion.”
Mallory Carroll, a spokesperson for the Susan B. Anthony List, which helps ending abortion, mentioned, “We’re not going to comment [on] anything until the official decision is made.”
The last opinion is anticipated in late June or early July, that means it’s doable the justices’ last votes and the choice might change.
Overturning Roe v. Wade has been the first objective of anti-abortion rights teams for many years, and the leaked opinion is anticipated to place immense strain on congressional Democrats to take some form of motion to guard abortion rights as a rising variety of states enact legal guidelines curbing abortion entry.
However, Senate guidelines requiring 60 votes for many laws to advance in the evenly cut up chamber have prevented Democrats from getting a invoice to President Joe Biden’s desk that might codify Roe v. Wade.