Abortion in the United States: Biden as a bulwark against the conservative offensive at the Court

United States President Joe Biden at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. AFP - NICHOLAS KAMM

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The right to abortion is under threat in the United States.

The publication of a draft decision of the Supreme Court, aiming to annul the judgment which guarantees the constitutional right to voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion), has aroused many reactions in the country.

And first to the Court itself.

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With our correspondent in Washington,

The court confirms it in a rather angry press release:

, which dates from February, is an authentic text.

It was drafted by conservative judge Samuel Alito, supported by four other conservative judges, including three appointed by Donald Trump when he was president.

The minority liberal justices will write a counter-argument.

The statement explains that this document is not final.

The Court is due to issue its final decision in June.

Finally, it launches an investigation to determine the origin of this unprecedented leak.

Very few people have access to these documents: the judges themselves, their assistants, four each, and possibly relatives of these people.

So that's a few dozen people at most.

My statement on the reported Supreme Court decision draft.

pic.twitter.com/Kt3bP0kzqU

— President Biden (@POTUS) May 3, 2022

The political reactions are numerous, this Tuesday.

President Joe Biden released a statement before speaking directly.

He worries that other areas, such as contraception or same-sex marriage, will be affected by this fundamental change in the Supreme Court's approach.

He asks that all means be implemented, at the legislative level, so that the right of women to make their own choice is protected elsewhere, if it is no longer protected by the Court.

The issue of abortion will become one of the main issues in the upcoming

.

The most conservative elected officials of the Republican Party are already announcing that if they win a majority in November, they want Congress to pass a law recognizing the fetus' rights equivalent to those of a person already born.

JUST IN: The Supreme Court confirms the authenticity of the draft opinion revealed last night by Politico.

The chief justice has ordered an investigation into the leak.

pic.twitter.com/XZweHdyhCG

— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) May 3, 2022

►Read also: Abortion rights in the United States, soon the end of the Roe v.

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