A leaked document suggesting millions of US women could lose the legal right to abortion is genuine, the Supreme Court’s chief justice has confirmed.
But it does not represent the court’s final decision, said John Roberts.
The leak has stirred expectations that the 1973 decision which legalised abortion in the US could be overturned, allowing individual states to ban it.
President Joe Biden has argued that the decision – if it goes ahead – could call other freedoms into question.
The leaked document – labelled “1st Draft” – appears to reflect the majority opinion of the court.
Written by Justice Samuel Alito, it calls the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling – which legalised abortion across the US – “egregiously wrong from the start”.
The draft is not a final ruling, and opinions could change. But if Roe v Wade is overturned, around half of US states could ban abortion.
In a statement, Chief Justice Roberts described the leak of the draft – first published by US website Politico – as “a singular and egregious breach” and asked the Marshal of the Supreme Court to launch an investigation.
The work of the court would “not be affected in any way”, he added.
The draft’s release has caused a wave of reaction from both sides. Anti-abortion law firm Americans United for Life urged the court to disregard “the expectations of pro-abortion activists or proxy media allies”.
