The Supreme Court could overturn the liberal regulation on abortion, reports the news portal Politico, citing a leaked draft judgment. A decision with explosive power.
Women are demonstrating in Oklahoma City for their right to choose whether to have an abortion.
According to a media report, the United States Supreme Court wants to overturn a court decision from the 1970s that legalized abortion nationwide in the United States. This reported the news portal Politico on Monday, based on a leaked first draft of the court’s majority opinion.
Accordingly, in the draft for an upcoming court decision, Judge Samuel Alito referred to “Roe v. Wade” as “egregiously wrong from the start”. Four other justices appointed by Republican presidents — Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett — approved the draft, according to the report. Alito, in office since 2006, wrote in his decision: “It is time to respect the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the elected representatives of the people.”
Abortion becomes a campaign issue
In practice, such a verdict, which was not supposed to become public until June, would have far-reaching consequences. If the protection of abortions were to fall at the state level, the 50 member states would suddenly be responsible for abortion law again. According to current compilations, abortion would almost automatically become illegal in 13 member states – especially in the south and west of the country. In 17 other states, including California and New York, abortions would still be allowed. The residents of the remaining 20 member states would be temporarily in a legal vacuum. However, because the abortion issue is politically highly controversial and 2022 is an election year in America, a parliamentary tug of war would probably begin immediately in these states, which include Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin.
If the media report proves accurate, experts say it would be the first time in the Supreme Court’s modern history that the draft judgment has leaked out. The Politico report has not yet been officially confirmed. Neither the Supreme Court nor the White House wanted to comment.
The decision is about a request from the state of Mississippi, whose government wants to ban abortions after the fifteenth week of pregnancy. Lower courts had blocked this law.
The Supreme Court allowed abortion rights in a landmark ruling in 1973. Judge Harry Blackmun, who wrote the ruling, which was approved by seven members of the Supreme Court, based the decision on the privacy protections implied by the 14th Amendment of the US Constitution.