Roe v. Wade

A draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito obtained by Politico shows that the Supreme Court has voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.  

Per Politico reporting, "The draft opinion offers an extraordinary window into the justices' deliberations in one of the most consequential cases before the court in the last five decades. Some court-watchers predicted that the conservative majority would slice away at abortion rights without flatly overturning a 49-year-old precedent. The draft shows that the court is looking to reject Roe's logic and legal protections.

A person familiar with the court's deliberations said that four of the other Republican-appointed justices - Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett - had voted with Alito in the conference held among the justices after hearing oral arguments in December, and that line-up remains unchanged as of this week. 

Under longstanding court procedures, justices hold preliminary votes on cases shortly after argument and assign a member of the majority to write a draft of the court's opinion." 

From the purported draft opinion: "The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives." 

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, one-third of all people of childbearing age in the US. Could lose access to abortion care in their state. If Roe is overturned, the closest abortion clinics to 41% of people of childbearing age would close, forcing them to trade. An average of 279 miles (up from the current 35 miles). Those who Ould be the most impacted are low-income individuals, those living in rural areas, and young people. 

President Joe Biden has warned that repealing this legislation would be a huge change in American law that could imperil a wide range of other civil rights, such as marriage laws and transgender rights.

It is truly a terrifying time to be a woman, I can’t believe we’re seeing The Handmaid’s Tale play out in real life.