What Overturning Roe v. Wade Means to Abortion Rights in U.S.

A bombshell report suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be about to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protects the constitutional right to abortion. That’s according to a leaked draft majority opinion circulated inside the court, reported by Politico and confirmed by the court as authentic, though by no means final. The court has heard multiple cases in recent years from states trying to narrow the right to have an abortion, one of the nation’s most contentious issues. The latest case is more sweeping than most: Mississippi is fighting to ban abortion in almost all instances after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The decision could clear the way for prohibitions in much of the U.S.

The draft opinion suggests that the court’s strengthened conservative majority is ready to go even further by overturning Roe v. Wade, leaving it to individual states to decide whether abortions are allowed, and in what circumstances. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” says the draft opinion, which was written by Justice Samuel Alito and has at least preliminary support from four other Republican-appointed justices, according to Politico. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” Disclosure of the draft opinion marks an extraordinary breach of protocol for an institution that has long prided itself for being almost leak-proof.