What is Roe v Wade? US Supreme Court could vote to overturn abortion law, leak suggests – World News
The US Supreme Court looks set to overturn a key ruling on abortion rights. Roe v Wade was a landmark moment for women in 1973. Here’s why the case was significant
There is fury among women’s right campaginers in the US as a leaked document appears to show a landmark ruling on abortion set to be overturned (
Image: Getty Images)
A leaked draft of an official document could mean that the legal right to abortion in the US could be overturned in the highest court in the US.
The US Supreme Court appears to be about to overturn the 1973 Roe v Wade decision legalising abortion, this would mean abortion could be outlawed in at least 24 states.
Abortions are described as “simple and extremely safe”, but only when carried out using a tried and trusted medically recommended method.
The leak is also significant according to lawyer Neal Katyal, who said it would be “the first major leak from the Supreme Court ever.”
Protesters against the leaked document from the Supreme Court argue that banning abortions would simply drive them underground, making them medically unsafe, while also impacting the rights a woman has to choose what to do with her own body.
Those who argue against it are concerned with the right to life a child has.
In the UK, abortions have been legal in some form since the Abortion Act of 1967, this was only decriminalised in Northern Ireland in 2019.
What is Roe v Wade?
Roe v Wade was a watershed moment for women’s rights in the US
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
Roe v Wade was a hugely significant court case in the US Supreme Court, which ended in a ruling in 1973 that state regulation of abortion was unlawful.
In the US, abortion is a highly controversial issue and can often lead to harassment, online or in-person and popular protests as people argue about a woman’s right to choose.
In 1970, ‘Jane Roe’ – the name used to protect Texas’ Norma McCorvey – took action against the district attorney of Dallas County Henry Wade.
McCorvey had sought an abortion, but it was not allowed in Texas law at the time unless they were performed to save the life of the mother.
She argued to the district court that Texas’ laws were unconstitutional. They agreed, but did not force Texas to change the law and so the matter went to the Supreme Court after Roe appealed.
The Supreme Court struck down the Texas law in 1973 and argued that a woman’s right to privacy carried more weight than a state’s right to ban apportion.
Currently, some states already have laws that place certain restrictions on abortions, such as how long into the pregnancy the foetus can be terminated.
What is the Supreme Court abortion leak?
The Supreme Court leak is significant and may require an investigation
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Image:
AFP via Getty Images)
The Supreme Court leak appears to show that the top court in the US could overturn the Roe v Wade ruling.
The leak, not yet confirmed, was revealed by Politico and is of a draft opinion. The leak is significant as Supreme Court decisions and discussions are supposed to remain private and ensure trust between the judges on the court.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote the document and said the 1973 Roe v Wade decision was “egregiously wrong”.
He said: “Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.”
The American Civil Liberties Union said the decision, a ruling is not expected until July, “would deprive half the nation of a fundamental, constitutional right that has been enjoyed by millions of women for over 50 years”.
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