Chief Justice John Roberts has confirmed that a leaked document suggesting the ruling legalizing abortion could be overturned was real but said it did not represent the court’s decision.
The leaked document has been described as a first draft. It has triggered a widespread debate between pro-choice and anti-abortion groups as it reportedly reflects the court’s majority support for overturning the 1973 decision legalizing abortion.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the draft, calling the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling “egregiously wrong from the start.” If the decision goes ahead, about half of the US states could ban and penalize abortion.
According to President Joe Biden, it would imply calling other freedoms into question. “It concerns me a great deal that we’re going to, after 50 years, decide a woman does not have a right to choose,” he said.
However, Chief Justice Roberts clarified that the document is not a final ruling but a draft, stating that the court’s opinions could change.
Also, in a statement published by the US website Politico, he asked the Marshal of the Supreme Court to launch an investigation into such a “singular and egregious breach.” Chief Justice Robert added that the draft’s release would not affect the court’s work “in any way.”
Pro- and anti-abortion circles were quick to react to the document’s leak. US’s largest reproductive health services provider, Planned Parenthood, has vowed to continue fighting “like hell” to protect women’s right to access legal abortion.
If the final court opinion supports the information in the leaked document and abortion legalization is reversed, over 36 million women could lose access to safe abortion.
Meanwhile, the anti-abortion law firm Americans United for Life asked the Supreme Court to ignore the expectations of pro-abortion activists and organizations and their allies in the media.
According to the latest official information, thirteen states have passed trigger laws to automatically ban abortion if the 1973 ruling is overturned. Mississippi has also lobbied the court to strike down the Roe v Wade law.
Also, Oklahoma’s governor signed an anti-abortion law similar to Texas’ 2021 law on Tuesday, allowing citizens to sue anyone involved in an abortion after six weeks of gestation.
More states are expected to pass similar laws quickly, but the court’s final decision won’t come until late or early July.
