Eight months ago, the same Trident Journalist wrote an article about the opinions on abortion of CdM students in light of recent events, which in September 2021 was the Texas Heartbeat Bill. Multiple of the interviewed students, who were women, jointly agreed that they felt threatened and dehumanized by that bill, although it took place hundreds of miles away. Several months later, talk about the Heartbeat bill has died down and women in the US have hoped that their country has taken steps in the direction of promoting a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body. On the other hand, people who have been consecutively fighting for the rights of the unborn fetus felt triumphant after the second biggest state in the US passed a bill in favor of the unborn fetus.

In early May of 2022, there was a big shift in the universal aborition controversy in America. Evidence was leaked from the Supreme Court entailing that there was a significant threat to the ruling of the monumental court case: Roe versus Wade. Also known as, the abortion case.  

Ruled in 1973, Roe versus Wade established that a woman has the right to abort her unborn fetus, supported by the US constitution’s fourteenth amendment’s Due Process Clause, or “right to privacy.” Although there is a strong controversial nature to the case, the 1973 ruling won 7-2. There are conditions to this ruling, depending on how far along the pregnancy is: “the state can choose to impose regulations in the second trimester, and prohibit abotions in the third trimester.” 

It is not 1973 anymore. The specific evidence leaked ended up to be an initial draft, entailing the majority opinion to overturn the ruling of the case. According to Chief Justice John Roberts, the draft is in fact real, but it “does not represent the court’s final decision.” 

The leak has caused a major uproar within the American population, especially among people who advocate for pro-choice. Right after the leak occurred, barricades surrounding the SCOTUS were put up to prevent potential protests from escalating. 

After almost 50 years, the future of abortion laws in America remains uncertain. Some people view the draft as a threat to their lives, while others view it as life-saving.  This is a developing story.