Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he supports the Supreme Court’s leaked draft opinion indicating that the court will overturn Roe v. Wade, which guarantees a woman’s right to choose. He also called for whoever leaked the document to be punished, calling the leak “an appalling affront against a critical institution.”
“If the leaked draft opinion reflects the final outcome, it is a decision I support. The sanctity of human life is a foundational American principle. Laws regarding abortion would be returned to the people and their elected representatives,” he said.
He added: “The breach of the Court’s deliberative process, however, is an appalling affront against a critical institution and should be fully investigated and those responsible should be punished.”
News of the draft opinion broke last night.
The draft opinion repudiates Roe v. Wade as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a later ruling which maintained that abortion is constitutional.
“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled,” Justice Samuel Alito writes in the document, labeled as the “Opinion of the Court.” “It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
You can read the complete document HERE.
The leak marks the first time in a court’s history that a potential opinion has been leaked while a case is still pending.
Alan is a writer, editor, and news junkie based in New York.