Leaked draft shows Supreme Court might overturn Roe

The 98-page document, first released by Politico on Monday night, calls the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision to legalize abortion “egregiously wrong.” Writing for the majority, Justice Samuel Alito is credited with penning the draft opinion in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case. The opinion cited several previous court decisions and likened this one to overturning racial segregation in the 1950s. The decision would uphold a Mississippi law that protects babies from abortion after 15 weeks of gestation. It states there is no right to an abortion in the U.S. Constitution and that the reasoning for Roe was “exceptionally weak.” If finalized, the decision would return the issue of abortion to the states.

Is this the final ruling? Under court procedure, justices hold preliminary votes shortly after an argument and then assign a majority member to write the opinion. This draft is believed to have been circulated in February. The wording could still be edited, and some votes might still change. The pro-life group Americans United for Life condemned the rare leak and called it a politically manipulative attempt to pressure pro-life justices to change their minds.

Dig deeper: Read Kim Henderson’s story in WORLD Magazine about the two women who got the Dobbs case to the Supreme Court.