Leaked document reveals the Supreme Court’s plans to overturn abortion rights

According to an initial draft majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito in February, the Supreme Court has voted to strike down the Roe v. Wade decision. The draft opinion document, titled "Opinion of the Court," was leaked on Monday to POLITICO and Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed its authenticity yesterday. 

In the draft opinion, Alito wrote about plans to overrule the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights, as well as the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision, which upheld the rights from Roe v. Wade. “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” he wrote. “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”

Should the draft opinion be put into effect, the guarantee of federal constitutional protection of abortion rights would end, and each state would be allowed to create their own laws regarding abortion. It is unclear as to whether the draft has been altered since February, but it is not uncommon for the justices to change their votes before the final ruling.

The document leak led to outrage from liberal politicians and a call for an investigation into the leak.