In a shocking development from a court that rarely leaks documents, Politico published a draft of a document that indicates the court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.
As Politico reports, the draft opinion is a full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision which guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights and a subsequent 1992 decision — Planned Parenthood v. Casey — that largely maintained the right. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito writes.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
On Tuesday, in a statement, the court confirmed the draft’s authenticity, though it cautioned that the document “does not represent a decision by the Court or the final position of any member on the issues in the case,” and have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak.
In a statement, Virginia Governor Youngkin shared a similar concern about the leaked document, however agreed with the decision, as he recently marched with his por-life supporters in a march at the Virginia capitol. (RELATED: Pro-Life Activists March with Youngkin)
“I am in utter disbelief that the sacred confidentiality of the Supreme Court would be violated in this manner. Sadly, this leak was done in order to cause chaos and to put pressure on justices and elected officials. It’s premature to speculate on what the Supreme Court’s decision will be; however, we learned from listening to Virginians over the last year that we have much common ground on this issue. I am pro-life, and I have been very clear about that since the day I launched my campaign. While we wait for the final June decision, we will be focused on lowering taxes for Virginians, funding education and law enforcement because we need to get a budget passed.”
