Different Takes: If Roe Is Overturned Contraception May Be Next; Maryland Seeks To Expand Abortion Access
Opinion writers weigh in on the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court draft leak.
The Washington Post:
Alito’s Draft Opinion Would Imperil Far More Than Abortion Rights
The deeply regrettable leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion that would strike down the right to abortion doesn’t tell us how the case will ultimately be decided. A draft is precisely that — a first attempt by the writer (in this case, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.) to express the views of a majority of the court’s members. A draft can go astray and lose the majority. (David Von Drehle, 5/3)
The Baltimore Sun:
Johns Hopkins Deans: Maryland’s Abortion Bill Good News For Health Care
The Maryland state legislature approved a bill last week that expands insurance coverage of reproductive health care and lifts unnecessary restrictions on who can provide abortions. It’s now on the governor’s desk. This bill is good news — for health. (Ellen J. MacKenzie and Sarah L. Szanton, 5/4)
The Baltimore Sun:
If Roe V. Wade Is Ultimately Overturned, Maryland Must Become A Sanctuary State For Abortion
If U.S. Supreme Court justices indeed overturn Roe v. Wade and send the issue of abortion access back to the states — as promised by a leaked draft opinion obtained and published Monday by Politico — roughly half of the U.S. would act swiftly to end or significantly restrict the procedure. It would be a devastating rollback of reproductive rights affecting the country as a whole, through increased poverty, maternal mortality, reliance on social safety nets and poor socioeconomic outcomes for thousands of children. (5/3)
The Star Tribune:
Roe Never Settled The Abortion Issue — And Overturning It Won't, Either
The row over Roe v. Wade is heating up and the U.S. Supreme Court is powerless to stop it. In fact, it just added fuel to the fire. This week's report of a leaked draft opinion indicates the Supreme Court is prepared to overturn Roe. This leak in itself is shameful — a tragic and historic breach of trust and integrity for the Supreme Court. The case at hand is Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which concerns a Mississippi law banning most abortions after 15 weeks. Under Roe, no state can prohibit abortions before a fetus is viable outside the womb at 24 weeks. (Steven D. Reske, 5/3)
Bloomberg:
Roe V. Wade Supreme Court Ruling Could Send Women Back To The 1960s
Within hours, Kardashian’s moment in the spotlight was obscured by a much less glamorous ghost of the past: Roe vs. Wade. Politico released a leaked first draft of a majority opinion, written by Justice Samuel Alito, that would completely overturn the landmark ruling on abortion. (Jessica Karl, 5/3)
Miami Herald:
Roe V. Wade Abortion Overturn Would Set Women Back In Florida
The U.S. Supreme Court’s potential reversal of Row v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion is a rude awakening. The rights we assumed were ingrained in the fabric of our country are in peril, and not just on abortion. What was once considered settled could be upended by efforts, decades in the making, to put our court system under conservative ideological control. Florida — where cultural wars are launched these days — is ground zero for a Republican experiment to reshape the nation. (5/4)
