
Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the first trimester of a woman’s pregnancy, is in danger of being struck down by the conservative majority, according to news reports published Monday night.
According to this Washington Post article, a draft opinion published by Politico said that a majority of justices are ready to reverse the ruling — though until a decision has been formally announced, any vote that has been taken can be reconsidered. In any case, the leak itself was big news — an unprecedented breach of court protocol in modern times.
Supreme Court is ready to strike down Roe v. Wade, leaked draft shows
The following background on the case comes from the National Constitution Center, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia with a congressional charter to disseminate information about the U.S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis: