Fallout swells over leaked Supreme Court draft threatening Roe v. Wade; more protests expected: Live updates

Shock waves continued to reverberate across the nation Wednesday ands scattered protests were expected to continue in the wake of a leaked Supreme Court decision draft that threatens abortion rights.

The court verified the leaked draft opinion published by Politico as an authentic document but asserted that it did not represent a final decision.

In a statement, Chief Justice John Roberts called the leak “a singular and egregious breach” of trust and said he had launched an investigation into who was responsible.

Democrat leaders, including President Joe Biden, called on Congress to codify the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established the constitutional right to abortion, though the future of such a bill would be uncertain in a closely divided chamber.

“It’s really quite a radical decision,” Biden said of the potential decision. “It’s a fundamental shift in American jurisprudence.”

Meanwhile, anti-abortion advocates celebrated a possible victory nearly five decades in the making.

“This is the moment the pro-life movement has been waiting for,” Craig DeRoche, president and CEO of Family Policy Alliance, a conservative Christian lobbying group based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said in a statement.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: Graphics show consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade

Activists gather to rally for abortion right in front of the Bruce R. Thompson courthouse in Reno, Nevada on May 3, 2022.

Protests in support of abortion rights swell nationwide

From the steps of the Supreme Court to New York, Nevada, Texas and California, thousands of fearful and frustrated abortion rights activists flooded the streets Tuesday.

Protesters in Washington, D.C., massed outside the court for the second night in a row, chanting “my body,” my choice.”

“We are here because it’s a really scary time to be a young woman,” said George Washington University freshman Ellie Small, 19.

A smaller group of anti-abortion demonstrators also gathered in support of abortion bans.

Organized demonstrations sprawled far beyond Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, from California to North Carolina.

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Hundreds of protesters took to the streets Tuesday evening in downtown Los Angeles, where police declared a citywide police tactical alert after a brief skirmish that injured one officer. There was no immediate word of any arrests, and it was the only violence reported among demonstrations nationwide.

TUESDAY PROTESTS: Abortion rights protesters rally across US after Supreme Court draft leak

Do Americans support overturning Roe v. Wade?

A Washington Post-ABC News poll published Tuesday found that a majority of Americans support the Supreme Court upholding Roe v. Wade. The poll, conducted last week, found 54% of Americans support upholding Roe, while 28% support overturning it. The poll found 18% had no opinion.

About 49% of the nation said abortion should be “legal and accessible” in USA TODAY/Ipsos poll published in April. Only about a third of Republicans felt that way, compared with 73% of Democrats.

Pregnancy-related deaths could rise in states that outlaw abortion

In the 26 states poised to either restrict or outlaw abortions if Roe v. Wade is overturned this summer, the number of pregnancy-related maternal deaths could rise 20% or more, according to some calculations.

Currently in the United States, about 700 women die each year either during pregnancy, during delivery or soon afterward, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Denying people abortions increases deaths because staying pregnant is more dangerous than having an abortion,” said Amanda Stevenson, a sociology professor at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

The death rates for people who want an abortion but are unable to access one are likely to be even higher than for wanted pregnancies, especially among those with limited access to resources, Stevenson said.

– Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY

WHAT’S NEXT?: Abortion ruling could be map for GOP’s next push

Demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday, a day after a leaked draft opinion suggests the highest court of the land could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide.

How abortion ruling could threaten gay marriage, contraception

If the draft opinion takes effect, it would open the door to reconsideration and potential reversal of other established rights, including same-sex marriage, contraception, private consensual sexual activity and even interracial marriage, according to activists and law professors.

Worry about the fate of other civil rights stem not just from the potential overturning of Roe, but the language used to justify it in the draft opinion, reportedly authored by Justice Samuel Alito with the backing of a court majority. One argument leveled against abortion in the court draft is that abortion rights are not enumerated in the Constitution, a circumstance that also could be applied to same-sex marriage and contraception, legal experts said.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED: What happens if Roe v. Wade is overturned?

The potential decision, which would uphold a Mississippi law prohibiting abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, also undermines the right to privacy, a grounding for the Roe decision and of numerous other rights, said Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University College of Law.

“I caution anyone who thinks that anything is off the table that our democracy, our agency, our civil rights are on the line,” said Kierra Johnson, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, a national LGBTQ rights organization.

– Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

Contributing: John Fritze, Ryan W. Miller, Ella Lee, Trevor Hughes, Celina Tebor, Marc Ramirez and Claire Thornton, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Roe v. Wade live updates: Fallout swells over Supreme Court draft leak