Roe V Wade Draft Leak

A leaked first draft of a Supreme Court document was posted by Politico late May 2, showing the Court may be in favor of overturning the 1973 bill for rights to abortion, Roe V Wade. 

Roe V Wade was a court case filed by Jane Roe against Henry Wade, the former district attorney of Dallas County, Texas, who put in a law that prohibited abortion except in cases where it saves a woman’s life. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2, which affirmed the rights of women to have an abortion under the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito wrote a 98-page document back in February 2022. Alito wrote, “Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views.” He continued on to explain his opinion through the document and stated, “The constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicity protected by any constitution provision.” 

On May 3, around 9 a.m. ET, President Biden spoke on the leaked document to many news outlets. “My administration argued strongly before the Court in defense of Roe v. Wade,” said Biden. He continued on about his administration’s opinions on abortion and reproductive rights. Biden also said that if people wanted Roe V Wade to not be overturned, to vote for pro-choice senators and the pro-choice majority in the house.

Current Vice President, Kamala Harris, also responded to the leaked document. “How dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body? How dare they try to stop her from determining her own future?” asked Harris. She spoke at a gala hosted by the pro-choice group Emily’s List, repeatedly bashing the possible overturning of the historic bill.

People across the country are trying to figure out what this will mean in their states. Abortion is currently not banned in most states, the ruling for the overturning is set to happen in June of 2022. Iowa may implement a 6-week abortion plan, meaning women will not be allowed to have an abortion after the 6-week mark. Many states may enact a similar plan. Other states may put near-entire bans on abortion while other states may put in an 8-week abortion plan. The current states that are most likely to put full abortion bans, as of May 2022, are Florida, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska.