The United States Supreme Court is poised to overturn the controversial 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, according to a draft opinion leaked to the public by Politico.
On Monday evening, Politico published a report noting that a draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito in February for the case Dobbs v. Jackson had the high court overturning Roe by a vote of 5-4.
Politico warned that the first draft does not necessarily mean that the decision will be overturned, as justices are known “change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled.”
Nevertheless, news of the likely overturning of Roe got widespread attention on social media and in the political realm, as many groups expressed their hopes or concerns over the leaked document.
The National Right to Life Committee released a statement withholding direct comment until a final decision is released by the Supreme Court.
Instead, they quoted Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch who said, “We will let the Supreme Court speak for itself and wait for the Court’s official opinion.”
Last July, the committee filed an amicus brief in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson alongside the Louisiana Right to Life Federation, arguing in favor of overturning Roe.
Meanwhile, Susan B. Anthony List president Marjorie Dannefelser commented – “If the draft opinion made public tonight is the final opinion of the court, we wholeheartedly applaud the decision.”