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American streets erupt in outrage after leaked draft says SCOTUS to OVERTURN Roe v Wade

'We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,' the leaked draft document labeled 'Opinion of the Court' reads

The Supreme Court reportedly voted to overturn the Roe v Wade abortion ruling, as per an initial draft written by Justice Samuel Alito, obtained by Politico. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled. It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives," the document labeled 'Opinion of the Court' reads.

After the leak, protesters gathered outside the Supreme Court in large numbers, carrying signs and making chants on May 2. The draft rejects the 1973 decision guaranteeing constitutional protection of abortion rights. It centers on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson, concerning a challenge to Mississippi's 15-week ban on abortion. Oral arguments were heard back in December, but the final opinion in the case isn’t expected until later this Spring or early summer. The final opinion has not been released and votes and language are subject to change before opinions are formally released, as per The Sun.

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"Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views. Some believe fervently that a human person comes into being at conception and that abortion ends an innocent life. Others feel just as strongly that any regulation of abortion invades a woman's right to control her own body and prevents women from achieving full equality. Still others in a third group think that abortion should be allowed under some but not all circumstances and those within this group hold a variety of views about the particular restrictions that should be imposed," the draft begins.

"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," it further says.

Minutes after the leak, barricades were erected outside of the Supreme Court building. Soon after, crowds and groups of people started gathering outside the building. Chants including "We will not go back" and "Abortion is health care" could be heard in the videos posted on social media. Pro-life and pro-choice supporters were seen clashing as they held signs and boards at the gathering.

Deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do 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. The court's holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months, reports Politico.

The draft opinion has 98 pages, including a 31-page appendix of historical state abortion laws. It includes a notation that it was circulated among the justices on February 10. If the draft is adopted, it would rule in favor of Mississippi over that state's attempt to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.