Planned Parenthood of Southern New England on Leaked Supreme Court Opinion: We Are at a Crisis Moment for Abortion Access; the Court Seems Prepared to End the Constitutional Right to Abortion

For Immediate Release: May 3, 2022

Despite the leaked draft Supreme Court opinion, PPSNE reaffirms its commitment to provide and protect access to abortion for all people – no matter what

(New Haven, CT) — Last night, Politico published a leaked draft Supreme Court majority opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that explicitly overturns Roe v. Wade. The draft majority opinion, written by Justice Alito, openly overrules Roe and Casey, stating that “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start” and “we hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.”

This is an unprecedented leak from the Supreme Court that, if true, would reverse nearly 50 years of precedent and explicitly end federal constitutional protections for abortion. It is important to note that abortion is still legal. The law has not changed — this is a draft opinion with no current legal authority.

The Supreme Court is acting in defiance of the American people. Research shows abortion bans and restrictions are deeply unpopular:

A Washington Post-ABC poll finds that 75% of people say decisions on abortion should be left to the woman and her doctor, including 95% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 53% of Republicans.
A Gallup poll finds that 80% of the American public think abortion should be legal

Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) operates 15 health centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island, where the right to abortion is protected in state law.

Amanda Skinner, President & CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England states:

“This leaked opinion confirms our worst fears: the U.S. Supreme Court is prepared to end the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade. This is a national crisis for reproductive freedom – if the protections of Roe are dismantled or overturned, more than 36 million women and many more people who can become pregnant could immediately lose access to abortion.

“The right to abortion is protected in Connecticut and Rhode Island state law, and we will do everything we can to ensure all patients can access the abortion care they need and deserve. Planned Parenthood of Southern New England health centers are open, abortion is currently still legal in America, and we will continue to fight like hell to protect access to safe, legal abortion.”