Abortion battleground shifts to states

The abortion battleground in the United States has moved to states and their new efforts to restrict abortion or strengthen protections following the report of a leaked majority draft opinion by the Supreme Court that indicated it is prepared to overturn the federal right to abortion.

News site Politico's publishing of the leaked draft on Monday also rallied Democrats and Republicans for the November midterm elections, but especially Democrats, as they seek to mobilize voters and avoid predicted steep losses in Congress and statehouses.

Democratic Illinois Governor J.B.Pritzker predicted "a tsunami of activism" among Democratic voters ahead of the midterms. "People thought this was settled law," he said. "Now, they are this morning awakened. Now, reproductive rights and women's rights are the number one issue and they are on the ballot."

The draft obtained by Politico stated the 1973 case Roe v. Wade "was egregiously wrong from the start", and it would strike it down, eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. States still would be allowed to provide abortions, according to the draft.

Some 22 states already have antiabortion laws that could go into effect if the landmark case is overturned, and political leaders in other states on Tuesday and Wednesday quickly reacted to the draft opinion.

Republican South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem tweeted on Tuesday that she would immediately call for a special session "to save lives and guarantee that every unborn child has a right to life in South Dakota".

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement that the published draft opinion was authentic, but was not necessarily the final resolution of the court's decision on Roe. The decision is not expected until the summer when the court's term concludes. Roberts also said an investigation has been launched to determine how the draft was leaked.

Democratic governors in New York and California said on Tuesday that they would seek amendments to their state constitutions to strengthen laws that protect abortion rights.

Democratic governors of Oregon, Washington and Colorado did not propose new measures, but reiterated their support to keep abortion legal in their states.

The governors of Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, who are among the few Republican leaders who support abortion rights, echoed the Democratic governors' support for abortion. A state constitutional amendment affirming the right to abortion is on the ballot in Vermont for November.

Some Republicans want Congress to enact a national ban on abortion, but Democrats currently control both chambers of Congress by narrow majorities.

While Democrats on Capitol Hill expressed outrage at the draft opinion, they acknowledged that their hands are tied unless voters give them a strong majority in Congress this fall. The Senate is narrowly controlled by Democrats, and there are not enough senators who support abortion rights to overcome a filibuster or create a 51-vote majority.