Vox Sentences - The end of Roe v. Wade?

The US Supreme Court seems poised to overturn Roe v. Wade; Russia prepares to annex parts of eastern Ukraine. 

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

SCOTUS could overturn abortion rights

Win McNamee/Getty Images

• A leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court is set to overturn 1973’s Roe v. Wade, which protects the right to abortion, was published Monday night by Politico. [Politico / Josh Gerstein and Alexander Ward]
• In the draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, Justice Samuel Alito argues that Roe must be overturned and the debate over abortion returned to voters. On Tuesday, SCOTUS confirmed the draft was authentic while stressing that it is not the Court’s final opinion. Chief Justice John Roberts ordered an investigation into the source of the leak. [Vox / Ian Millhiser]
• If the Court overturns Roe, abortion would almost immediately become illegal in more than 20 US states where GOP leaders already have total bans passed or in the planning stages. Abortion providers are clarifying what’s legal for patients ahead of the final decision, likely at the end of June. [19th News / Shefali Luthra]
• On Tuesday, President Joe Biden labeled the Court’s decision “radical” and said it would impact “every decision in your private life.” Biden also mentioned the word abortion publicly for the first time in his presidency. [HuffPost / Alanna Vagianos]
• Three abortion rights groups have $150 million earmarked to back candidates who support abortion rights in the November midterm elections. However, it’s unclear what impact the funding would have. [Roll Call / Sandhya Raman]
• The US would join only three countries that have restricted abortion access since 1994: Poland, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. Fifty-nine countries expanded access over the same period. [NYT / Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz]

Russia is preparing to annex parts of eastern Ukraine

• On Monday, US intelligence warned that Russia is preparing to annex the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine [Guardian / Jon Henley]
• In mid-May, Russia may hold phony referendums in Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson to give the appearance of Ukrainian voters in those regions wanting to separate from Ukraine, per US intelligence. The Kremlin would then likely install leaders in those cities. [Washington Post / Missy Ryan, John Hudson, Louisa Loveluck, and David Stern]
• On Tuesday, Russian forces stormed a steel plant in the besieged city of Mariupol. When the Kremlin’s effort to take Kyiv stalled last month, Russia focused its energy on capturing the industrial part of Ukraine. [AP / Cara Anna and Yesica Fisch]
• US and other Western officials said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally declare war on Ukraine as soon as May 9, which would allow total mobilization of Russian forces. [CNN / Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Jennifer Hansler, Alex Marquardt, and Brad Lendon]

On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers in 19 states announced they plan to offer legal refuge for trans youth and their families. [AP / Holly Ramer]

• A judge ruled Monday that a lawsuit from three survivors seeking reparations for the 1921 Tulsa race massacre can proceed. [Washington Post / DeNeen Brown]
• The midterm election season begins Tuesday with primaries in Ohio and Indiana. [FiveThirtyEight / Nathaniel Rakich]
• The US government now says WNBA star Brittney Griner is “wrongfully detained” in Russia, which marks a shift in efforts to bring her home. [ESPN / TJ Quinn]

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“We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.”

[Justice Samuel Alito in his draft opinion / Politico]

Justice Alito's opinion

A largely unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court decision reveals the Court’s conservative majority intends to overturn Roe v. Wade.

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