Timeline of events that led to Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade
While efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade stretch back decades, the sequence of events that led to the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the decision unfolded in recent years.
On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned the landmark decision Roe v. Wade, ruling 6-3 that abortion was not a constitutional right and that states could make their own laws on abortion, either allowing it or placing restrictions on the practice.
The overturning came as a result of the decision in Thomas Dobbs, et. al. v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which upheld the right of Mississippi to ban most abortions after 15 weeks into a pregnancy.
"We hold that Roe and [Planned Parenthood v. Casey] must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," wrote Justice Samuel Alito for the majority.
"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division."
Here is a brief timeline of events that led to the overturning of Roe. They include the election of former President Donald Trump, the passage of the Mississippi law, and the leaked draft opinion.
