- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
- Alcaraz breezes into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Gaza cultural heritage brought to light in Geneva
- 'Bullet for democracy': Trump returns to site of rally shooting
- Italy targets climate activists in 'anti-Gandhi' demo clampdown
- South Korean cult-horror series 'Hellbound' returns at BIFF
- Nepalis fear more floods as climate change melts glaciers
- Honduras arrests environmentalist's alleged murderer
- Padres pitcher Musgrove needs elbow surgery
- Supreme Court lets stand rules to curb mercury, methane emissions
- Boston beat Denver in NBA exhibition season opener, but Jokic says omens are good
- Chagos diaspora angry at lack of input on islands' fate
- Biden says 'not confident' of peaceful US election
- US trade chief defends tariff hikes when paired with investment
- Lukaku stars as Napoli beat Como to hold Serie A top spot
- Ohtani set for MLB playoff debut as Dodgers face Padres
- Pogba's drug ban cut to 18 months from four years
- Devine leads New Zealand to big win over India in Women's T20 World Cup
- Bosnia floods kill 16 people
- EU court blocks French ban on vegetable 'steak' labelling
- Prosecutors seek dismissal of rape charges against French rugby players
- Meta AI turns pictures into videos with sound
- Bolivia's Morales says claims he raped a minor are a 'lie'
- MLB Reds hire two-time champion Francona as manager
- Daniel Maldini receives first Italy call-up for Nations League
- US dockworkers return to ports after three-day strike
Supreme Court leak ignites US abortion firestorm
President Joe Biden urged voters Tuesday to defend their "fundamental" rights after a leaked Supreme Court draft on ending nationwide legal abortion sparked a political firestorm around one of America's most divisive ethical issues.
If confirmed by the court, the ruling would categorically overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which enshrined abortion rights across the country -- ensuring the hot-button question will dominate the November midterm elections for control of Congress.
In practice, it would mean that abortion laws were left up to individual state legislatures, with as many as half of the country's states expected to introduce bans or new restrictions.
Abortion is the fiercest fought of all the so-called culture war battles, and Republicans have pushed hard for years to overturn Roe -- something that became almost inevitable once three conservative justices were appointed under Donald Trump, shifting the Supreme Court's political balance sharply to the right.
Biden, whose Democrats have been forecast to lose their narrow control of Congress in November, issued a rallying cry to the left, warning that restricting abortion rights will be only the beginning.
"I believe that a woman's right to choose is fundamental... and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned," Biden said in a written statement.
"It will fall on voters to elect" officials who back abortion rights, he said, vowing to work to pass legislation in Congress that codifies Roe v. Wade -- a goal impossible to achieve unless far more Democrats win seats.
Speaking to reporters, Biden went further, calling the draft ruling "radical" and warning of a "fundamental shift in American jurisprudence" that could put into question the future of gay marriage and "how you raise your child."
"It would mean that every other decision relating to the notion of privacy is thrown into question."
- 'Roe v. Wade is going to go!' -
The leaking of the draft ruling was unprecedented, knocking another hole in the once hallowed reputation of the top court as the one apolitical branch in the US government.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed that the document released by the Politico news website was authentic, although he cautioned that this did not necessarily represent the court's final decision. Roberts ordered a probe into the leak.
Crowds of protesters from both camps descended on the Supreme Court building, with anti-abortion activists chanting "abortion is violence. Abortion is oppression" as well as "Hey Hey Ho Ho Roe v. Wade is going to go!"
In Roe v. Wade, the court ruled that access to abortion is a constitutional right. In a subsequent 1992 ruling, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the court guaranteed a woman's right to an abortion until the fetus is viable outside the womb, which is typically around 22 to 24 weeks of gestation.
Most developed countries allow abortions on request up to a gestational limit, most often 12 weeks.
Roe v. Wade makes the United States one of a handful of nations to allow the procedure without restriction beyond 20 weeks of pregnancy -- although many others allow it past that point for specific reasons.
The court had been expected to decide this June on challenges to Roe v. Wade.
The Republican National Committee said it was time for abortion decisions to revert to state governments.
"The far left wants unelected judges to impose a radical, one-size fits all abortion policy, leaving Americans without a voice. The Republican Party will always stand for the sanctity of life," it said.
- 'Wrong from the start' -
The draft opinion was written by Justice Samuel Alito and according to Politico has been circulating since February inside the court -- now dominated 6-3 by conservatives.
The 98-page draft majority opinion calls Roe v. Wade decision enshrining the right to abortion "egregiously wrong from the start."
"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Alito writes in the document, labeled the "Opinion of the Court."
"It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."
Democratic governors of several states including California, New Mexico and Michigan swiftly announced plans to enshrine abortion rights into law even if the court overturns Roe, with California Governor Gavin Newsom tweeting: "Women will remain protected here."
T.Resende--PC