The Supreme Court of the United States today overturned Roe. v. Wade in a 6-3 ruling which eliminates the right to an abortion. State bans on abortion, on the books or expected imminently in about half of U.S. states, may now be enforced.
The decision, unthinkable just a few years ago, was the culmination of decades of efforts by abortion opponents, made possible by an emboldened right side of the court that has been fortified by three appointees of former President Donald Trump. The ruling came more than a month after the stunning leak of a draft opinion by Justice Samuel Alito indicating the court was prepared to take this momentous step. It puts the court at odds with a majority of Americans who favored preserving Roe, according to opinion polls.
While Alito's opinion is today's hammer, Justice Clarence Thomas's concurrence takes aim at rulings which legalized contraception, homosexuality and gay marriage—the cutting edge to come: "in future cases, we should reconsider all of this Court's substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell."
