An unprecedented leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court has revealed that the body is likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that established the constitutional right to abortion without excessive government interference. The decision, published by Politico and confirmed by the Court to be authentic but not final, would allow individual states to establish their own abortion regulation — and many of those states plan to ban all or most abortions as soon as the final decision comes down.
New York legalized abortion in 1970, before the case came before the Court, and codified Roe’s protections into state law in 2019 with the Reproductive Health Act, ensuring abortion would remain legal even if the decision was overturned. The law also legalized abortion past 24 weeks of pregnancy if the mother’s health was in jeopardy, and allows “advanced practice clinicians,” like nurse practitioners and physicians assistants, to perform abortions.
