Conservative judge’s design
US Supreme Court could overturn abortion rights
5/3/2022 8:57 am
The right to an abortion has been constitutionally enshrined in the United States for decades, but is contested. A conservative judge’s draft could now overturn it, turning back history significantly. A majority for it in the supreme court seems certain to him.
According to a media report, the US Supreme Court is about to overturn abortion rights. This emerged from a draft of the majority opinion of the judges, which the news site Politico reported on Monday evening. Written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the draft called the 1973 landmark “Roe v. Wade” decision, which established abortion rights, as “egregiously wrong from the start”.
The Conservatives dominate the Supreme Court. According to the draft, the verdict should be “overturned” along with another court decision on abortion (“Planned Parenthood v. Casey”) and “the question of abortion should be returned to the elected representatives of the people”. Abortion rights are “not deeply rooted in the history and traditions of the nation,” Alito wrote.
In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that access to abortion is a constitutional right of every woman. In 1992, in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court guaranteed the right to terminate a pregnancy until the fetus is viable outside the womb. This is usually the case in the 22nd to 24th week of pregnancy.
Conservative majority seems secure
Politico reported from inside sources that four other Conservative Justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett – wanted to vote with Alito. The court’s three liberal judges worked on a dissenting opinion. Accordingly, it is not known how Chief Justice John Roberts will ultimately vote.
A decision by the constitutional judges is expected in June. Several conservative-governed states have already passed tougher abortion laws in anticipation of the Supreme Court decision. In Texas, the so-called heartbeat law came into force last September, which bans abortions from about the sixth week of pregnancy.
Planned Parenthood, which runs abortion clinics nationwide, called the draft report “outrageous” but warned it was “not definitive.” “While abortion is still legal, today’s report makes it clear that our deepest fears are coming true,” the organization said on Twitter. “We have reached a moment of crisis for access to abortion.”