Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard
Link copied to clipboard

Read the Supreme Court’s decision that overturned the abortion protections of Roe v. Wade

Read the full text of Justice Samuel Alito's SCOTUS decision overturning abortion protections put in place by Roe v. Wade.

Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Seated from left are Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Standing from left are Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years — a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)
Members of the Supreme Court pose for a group photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, April 23, 2021. Seated from left are Associate Justice Samuel Alito, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John Roberts, Associate Justice Stephen Breyer and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Standing from left are Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years — a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool, File)Read moreErin Schaff / AP

The Supreme Court of the United States on Friday issued a decision overruling abortion protections that have been in place since Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Chief Justice John Roberts voted in the majority, which held that “the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion...the authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

» READ MORE: Live coverage: Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, imperiling abortion access nationwide

The Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling comes after a copy of the decision was leaked in May, first obtained by Politico. It also is at odds with the majority of Americans’ views on abortion: 61% of American adults believe abortion should be legal all or most of the time, according to recent Pew polling.

In Pennsylvania, 53% of voters agree that abortion should be legal under certain circumstances.

Read the court’s full decision here: