Since US Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito’s draft of a majority decision overturning the landmark abortion rights ruling Roe v Wade was leaked on 2 May, concerned Americans have been wondering how things will play out when the decision becomes official – which it almost certainly will do, probably in June.
A quick review of what Republican politicians and anti-abortion activists have said about their plans should be enough to convince anyone who cares about civil rights that those of us who have been sounding the alarm about a broader onslaught on rights were correct to do so.
The Roe decision relied on a constitutional right to privacy derived from the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution, and with that reasoning rejected, other rights that depend on privacy are vulnerable. The situation is grim, not only with respect to reproductive justice, but also for LGBTQ rights and racial justice.
