U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade ruling in landmark decision for abortion

In a 6-3 decision, the top court upheld a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after the 15th week, effectively abolishing the legal precedent Roe v. Wade established.

The U.S. Supreme Court has overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that has guaranteed the right to an abortion for more than 50 years, creating a grim new reality for women’s health in the country while granting a significant victory to religious conservatives.

In a 6-3 decision Friday, the top court upheld a Mississippi law that would ban most abortions after the 15th week, effectively abolishing the legal precedent Roe v. Wade established in 1973.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s three liberal-leaning justices, unable to sway even one member of the solid conservative majority.

The question of whether abortions are legal will now be left up to individual states, which will lead to widespread differences in access across the U.S.

The court’s decision on the Mississippi case had been foretold since May, when Politico published a draft opinion from Justice Samuel Alito that called Roe v. Wade “egregious from the start” and argued it should never have been treated as precedent.

Although the court warned the document, which had been written in February, was an early draft and would evolve before the final decision was released this summer, it sent shockwaves through the country and sparked mass pro-choice protests.

An attempt by Congress to enshrine the right to an abortion as federal law, along with other women’s health protections, died in the Senate days after the draft was leaked due to Republican opposition.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade will be immediately felt in several states.