A draft majority opinion in the US Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization has been leaked and shared with Politico. The Mississippi case arose from the state’s new statute banning abortion after 15 weeks. The leaked opinion actually overturns Roe v. Wade. 

The majority opinion was written by Justice Alito and signed onto by four of the other Republican-appointed justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. Meanwhile, “the three Democratic-appointed justices – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan – are working on one or more dissents… How Chief Justice John Roberts will ultimately vote, and whether he will join an already written opinion or draft his own, is unclear.”

Critically, “Deliberations on controversial cases have in the past been fluid. Justices can and sometimes do change their votes as draft opinions circulate and major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. The court’s holding will not be final until it is published, likely in the next two months.”

However, if this draft does become the published majority opinion, the effect will be to end the federal, constitutionally-grounded right to abortion that has been protected by Roe v. Wade. This move will leave individual states free to protect abortion or not, and many states are already poised to curtail abortion rights.

The full Politico article delves into the majority’s stance on overturning precedent, their view of Roe, and how they attempt to tie their reasoning to race. End Abuse will provide updates on new information surrounding this case, in particular the ultimate published opinion. In the meantime, please refer to the resources below in the ongoing work for reproductive justice and survivor justice

“Reproductive justice builds from the recognition that many communities, especially poor communities of color, have experienced historical reproductive abuses—from the breeding of slaves to coercive sterilizations to welfare benefits in exchange for long-acting contraceptives. Reproductive justice recognizes that the main reproductive challenge facing poor women of color is not unintended pregnancy, but rather structural inequities that provide some people with easier access to self-determination and bodily autonomy than others.”

-Wisconsin Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE)

• Planned Parenthood of WI: empowers all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health through patient services, education and advocacy.
• WI Alliance for Women’s Health: empowers every WI woman – at every age and every stage of life – to reach her optimal health, safety and economic security.
• Pregnancy Options Wisconsin: Education, Resources, and Support: A WI-based group of volunteer doctors, midwives, doulas, educators, and activists committed to strengthening our communities and world through trust in pregnant people.
• The Foundation for Black Women’s Wellness: a Wisconsin based non-profit organization committed to mobilizing African American women to pursue and sustain mind-body-spirit wellness, and to raise the visibility and support of Black women’s health as a community and public health priority.
• Wisconsin Collaborative for Reproductive Equity (CORE): Housed within the University of Wisconsin – Madison, CORE conducts and translates rigorous, interdisciplinary research to inform policies and programs so that all Wisconsin residents and families may live with reproductive autonomy–able to make decisions about their reproductive health and access needed services without interference or coercion.

• National Network of Abortion Funds: builds power with members to remove financial and logistical barriers to abortion access by centering people who have abortions and organizing at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.
• SisterSong Women of Color Collective
• If/When/How: Lawyering for Reproductive Justice: If/When/How transforms the law and policy landscape through advocacy, support, and organizing so all people have the power to determine if, when, and how to define, create, and sustain families with dignity and to actualize sexual and reproductive wellbeing on their own terms.
• The Center for Reproductive Rights: a global human rights organization of lawyers and advocates who ensure reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health, and well-being of every person.
• In Our Own Voice – National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda: a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, femmes, and girls.
• AbortionFinder.org: With more than 750 health centers, AbortionFinder.org features the most comprehensive directory of trusted (and verified) abortion service providers in the United States.
  • Crisis Pregnancy Center Map: CPC Map aims to provide location information about all of the crisis pregnancy centers operating in the U.S. CPCs (also known as “pregnancy resource centers”, “pregnancy care clinics”, and “fake women’s health centers”) are nonprofit organizations with a primary aim of keeping women from having an abortion.

End Abuse created infographics and key quotes and statistics for public use highlighting the link between domestic violence, reproductive coercion, and abortion access. Find these resources – including graphics available in sizing for multiple social media channels – at bit.ly/endabusereprojust

• The Color of Choice: White Supremacy and Reproductive Justice by Loretta J. Ross
  • • available in The Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology 
• VAWnet Resources on IPV & Reproductive Justice