A shock wave went through the U.S. on Monday evening when Politico published what appeared to be a legitimate first draft of a Supreme Court ruling written by Justice Samuel Alito that would overturn Roe v. Wade entirely. It was a huge breach at the Supreme Court and a political earthquake as well. But for many women across America, it was a blow that hit much closer to home.
If Justice Alito’s draft is adopted by a majority on the court, it would return the issue of abortion to the states; half of them would be expected to try to ban or severely restrict the procedure. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Sarah Green Carmichael spoke with Bloomberg News reporters Kelsey Butler and Ella Ceron and Harvard Medical School physician Aditi Nerurkar on Twitter Spaces to consider what this means for women and abortion rights. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Sarah Green Carmichael: Were you surprised by the release of the opinion or anything in it?
Ella Ceron: My family is from Mexico, and so seeing the way Mexico has decriminalized abortion last year and seeing the contrast with what’s happening here in the United States did strike me personally. I’m still trying to process that.
