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By: Izabelle Bradley
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (mocsnews.com) — In early May of 2022, the Supreme Court suggested striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision.
According to a draft majority opinion signed by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, “It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” Alito was appointed by former President George W. Bush and is a member of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority
The draft poses a harsh redaction of the 1973 decision that granted the protection of abortion rights. During the 1973 Roe v. Wade trial majority opinion found an absolute right to abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.
In summary, the draft states there is no constitutional right to abortion. The first impact of the drafted overturning would end the federal protection of abortion rights and turn the decision to the state.
If passed, the states would then be allowed to place heavier regulations or outright ban abortion. 13 states have already passed ‘trigger laws’ that will immediately go into effect if the ruling is overturned. Up to 26 states are expected to inflict new limitations. Elizabeth Nash, interim associate director of state says that 36 million women of reproductive age live in these 26 states.
Tennessee is of the states that has made its stance clear. Tennessee has already passed a Trigger ban, Six-week ban, and the State constitution bans protection of all abortion rights.
The overturning of abortions would uproot nearly 50 years of lawmakers’, women’s, and activists’ efforts to maintain this freedom. This abolition would not end abortions, just safe ones.
The Supreme Court has always been one of America’s most secretive institutions. Former Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg often said, ““At the Supreme Court, those who know don’t talk, and those who talk don’t know.” Ginsburg was a deeply respected and admired activist within the supreme court.
No draft decision has ever been made public while still pending, and this realization is only going to further ignite the debate.
The Supreme Court has not yet casted a ruling in the case, and justice opinions typically change during the drafting process. The court is expected to reach a decision in late June or early July.
