Which states would restrict or protect abortion rights if Roe v. Wade is struck down?
CBSN
Washington — A bombshell draft opinion indicating the Supreme Court may strike down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision has rattled Washington and the nation, prompting Democrats and abortion rights supporters to sound the alarm about the future of abortion access in the United States.
Such a decision from the Supreme Court, if final, would upend 50 years of abortion precedent and put officials at the state level in the driver's seat of determining abortion access, resulting in a patchwork of laws that vary based on where a person lives. The Supreme Court confirmed the authenticity of the draft opinion in a statement Tuesday morning but stressed it does not represent any members' final position on the issues in the case, which involves a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Obtained and published by Politico late Monday, the draft opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated among the justices in February. The document indicates a majority of the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe, though justices can — and have — changed their votes after drafts have been exchanged. A decision from the Supreme Court in the Mississippi case is expected by the end of the court's term in late June or early July.