Roe v. Wade, the
US Supreme Court’s landmark judgment guaranteeing federal protections for
abortion rights, is likely to be overturned. The Supreme Court’s draft opinion,
which remains subject to change, indicated that it was time for the power to
decide on abortion to be returned to people’s representatives. But abortion
rights activists in the US are not taking things lying down. On Saturday,
thousands of activists took to the streets threatening a ‘summer of rage’ is
the US’ apex court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Marches were held
in Washington, Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, according to a Reuters
report. Planned Parenthood, Women’s March were among abortion rights groups
participating in the rallies.

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On May 2, a draft
opinion of the US Supreme Court leaked to POLITICO. The opinion was later
authenticated by Supreme Court chief justice. It indicated that the court’s
majority opinion was poised in favour of overturning Roe v. Wade. The opinion
was drafted by Justice Samuel Alito.

If Roe v. Wade is
in fact overturned, it will be up to states to decide on abortion. As things
stand, abortion will stand to be outlawed in some form or another in at least
31 states.

Rachel Carmona,
president of Women’s March, said, “For the women of this country, this will be
a summer of rage…We will be ungovernable until this government starts to work
for us, until the attacks on our bodies let up, until the right to an abortion
is codified by law.”

While Democrats
hope the rage against the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade will carry them
home in the midterm elections, it might not be as easy since Democrats’ attempt
to codify Roe v. Wade into law failed amid Republican opposition.

The draft opinion
of the US Supreme Court stated: “We hold that Roe and Casey must
be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such
right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the
one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely –
the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.”