IDAHO — A group of protesters gathered outside the Idaho Statehouse Tuesday in support of abortion rights following the leaked Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
The draft leak was published by Politico Monday night and suggests the U.S. Supreme Court could be preparing to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion. The draft was validated by Chief Justice John Roberts Tuesday morning, but he said it does not inherently indicate the final opinion of the court.
Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden released a statement Tuesday, calling the leaked opinion "well-reasoned" and condemned the leak of the draft.
"It appears Justice Samuel Alito has written another well-reasoned opinion and I want to commend him for it. It is terrible that someone would undermine our Constitutional process by leaking it. Regardless of the final outcome at the US Supreme Court, I will continue to vigorously defend Idaho's Heartbeat Law and the Constitution, no matter what," Wasden said in the statement.
Related: Supreme Court leaks rare, but not unprecedented
Idaho Democrats said the potential overturn of Roe v. Wade goes against what most Idahoans and Americans want.
The leaked Supreme Court draft that would overturn Roe v. Wade is still a draft and nothing final yet. Those of you who are feeling scared or heartbroken, we are with you and will continue to fight for this fundamental right that has stood in well-established law for 50 years. pic.twitter.com/WKgrmT1qvf
— Idaho House & Senate Democrats (@idahodlcc) May 3, 2022
Related: Biden responds to report that Roe could be overturned
"This will have especially dangerous consequences for the women and girls living in states like Idaho, where the only thing standing between them and forced pregnancy and birth is the constitutional protection of Roe v. Wade. I am thinking about the testimony I’ve borne witness to, the testimony from rape survivors, from survivors of incest, who will have no protections in our state should Roe be overturned," Democratic Senator Melissa Wintrow said in a statement Monday night.
Idaho Senator Mike Crapo said the leak is a "brazen attempt to intimidate" the Supreme Court and the SCOTUS should remain independent from political pressure.
States should have the ability to protect the right to life and the rights of the unborn. The deliberate leak of a draft opinion is a brazen attempt to intimidate Supreme Court justices into ignoring the rule of law and undermines the institution of the Court.
— Senator Mike Crapo (@MikeCrapo) May 3, 2022
Idaho News 6 will continue to update this story as more responses, information becomes available.
