Protests as abortion rights could be overturned, leaked Supreme Court opinion shows

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View online May 03, 2022 1/ Protesters rally outside Supreme Court as leaked opinion shows abortion rights could be overturned A leaked draft of a US Supreme Court opinion shows a majority of five justices have decided to allow states to outlaw abortion by overruling the landmark cases of Roe v Wade and Planned Parenthood v Casey and uphold a Mississippi law which criminalises termination of a pregnancy after 15 weeks.   The draft opinion – first reported by Politico – appears to have been authored by Justice Samuel Alito, and is dated 10 February. It indicates that he, along with Justices Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn Roe and Casey after hearing oral arguments in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization.   "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," he wrote. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."   A former Supreme Court clerk who reviewed the draft opinion told The Independent it is "consistent" with the work product produced during the court's internal deliberative processes. The authenticity of the document could not be immediately verified by other news organisations.   The immediate impact of such a decision would be to outlaw abortion across a broad swath of the US, forcing women to carry unwanted pregnancies to term unless they can travel to a state where abortion is legal under state law, or risk undergoing an illegal procedure outside of licensed medical facilities.   Giving states the right to outlaw abortion would reverse a half-century of precedent, and would fulfill an equal number of years of work by religious activists who have opposed the advent of legal abortion because they believe life begins at conception.   It would also represent a huge victory for Republicans, who have sought for decades to reshape the judiciary in a direction often more hostile to the rights of women and minorities. All five of the justices voting in favour of overturning Roe and Casey were appointed by Republican presidents, and four of the five are conservative Catholics. 2/ January 6 committee asks Reps Andy Biggs, Mo Brooks and Ronny Jackson for information The committee is seeking information on why members of the Oath Keepers extremist group sought to protect Mr Jackson during the riot 3/ Missouri execution to go ahead after governor declines to give 11th hour reprieve 'No one is suggesting that Carman Deck should get out of prison and go home tomorrow' 4/ Georgia forming special grand jury to investigate Trump's bullying of official after election loss 'I just want to find 11,780 votes, which is one more than we have,' Trump told Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in January 2021 5/ New book says Trump wanted troops to open fire on BLM protesters: 'Can't you just shoot them?' 'Can't you just shoot them? Just shoot them in the legs or something?' 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Read the full story > Watch / Protesters chant outside Supreme Court after leak indicates court will overturn Roe vs Wade NUMBER OF THE DAY 122   – The number of years since India last experienced an April as hot as 2022's, according to the country's weather agency, raising fresh concern about the impact of the climate crisis. QUOTE OF THE DAY "Vladimir Putin has to be put on trial and hanged. But only in accordance with the law." – Former Gazprom executive Igor Volobuyev hits out at Russia's leader over the war in Ukraine after fleeing his homeland. Other stories you might like Josh Mandel seeks a victory over Trump-endorsed JD Vance through Ohio's churches What you'll find on Truth Social, Trump's social media platform for 'free expression' Birds Aren't Real conspiracy creators explain parody campaign: 'We're fighting lunacy with lunacy' Articles available exclusively to subscribers James Rampton, The Independent: Where do bats get their terrifying reputation from? 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