United States | Roe’s last stand

The Supreme Court erases the constitutional right to abortion

The five-decade-old decision in Roe v Wade is overruled

NEW YORK, NY - MAY 14: Abortion rights supporters march over the Brooklyn Bridge during a rally on May 14, 2022 in New York City. Abortion rights supporters are holding rallies around the country urging lawmakers to affirm abortion rights into law after a leaked draft from the U.S. Supreme Court exposed a potential decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
|NEW YORK

Nearly a half-century after five Republican-appointed justices joined two Democratic appointees to recognise a woman’s right to abortion, a different quintet of gop-tapped justices has voted to eliminate it. On June 24th the Supreme Court renounced Roe v Wade, the 1973 case that legalised abortion nationwide, and Planned Parenthood v Casey, the decision that extended it (with modifications) in 1992. The vote was 6-3, with all but Chief Justice John Roberts voting to scrap Roe. The Supreme Court has never before withdrawn a constitutional right that so many Americans have relied upon for so long.

Discover more

Could an “October surprise” upset America’s election?

What last-minute developments might portend for the race

Donald Trump is preparing an assault on America’s immigration system

The third in our series of policy briefs


What America’s presidential election means for taxes

The second in our series of policy briefs


The Supreme Court begins another contentious term

Guns, vapes, online porn and health care for transgender youth dot the docket

What America’s presidential election means for world trade

The first in a series of eight concise briefs on the consequences of the 2024 election

Checks and Balance newsletter: gender politics in the election

Both parties are telling very different stories about gender