(RepublicanInformer.com)- Senator Mitt Romney became the latest prominent Republican who came out and said that he would support the Supreme Court if it followed through on its draft ruling that would overturn the 1973 landmark case of Roe v. Wade that protects a woman’s right to an abortion.
That being said, the Utah senator added that he believed whoever was responsible for leaking the draft of the majority opinion — penned by conservative Justice Samuel Alito — should have to face criminal punishment.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Romney said:
“If the leaked draft opinion reflects the final outcome, it is a decision I support. The sanctity of human life is a foundational American principle. Laws regarding abortion would be returned to the people and their elected representatives.”
What Romney is referring to here is the fact that, if the high court does follow through with what the draft majority opinion says, states would have the ability to set their own laws regarding abortion.
The Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade prohibited states from setting their own individual laws regarding abortion. But, if that decision were to be overturned — which the draft opinion seems to say is likely — then states would have their rights to set abortion laws returned to them.
While Romney was pleased with what was written in the draft opinion, he was not at all happy with the fact that a major leak came out of the Supreme Court. As his statement continued:
“The breach of the Court’s deliberative process, however, is an appalling affront against a critical institution and should be fully investigated and those responsible should be punished.”
Politico reported on the draft opinion on Monday night, citing a source who was familiar with the high court’s proceedings. The draft is just that — a draft.
It is common procedure for drafts on cases to circulate among Supreme Court justices before a final decision is handed down. In fact, in this time period, it’s still possible that justices could change their mind, switching to the other side of the argument and, as a result, changing the majority opinion to the minority one.
In other words, just because the leaked majority opinion draft indicates that the Supreme Court is going to overturn Roe v. Wade doesn’t mean it will definitely happen. The high court is expected to publish its final opinion on the case by the end of June.
Until then, people on both sides of the issue can only wait and hope — either that the draft decision holds as the majority or that at least one justice changes their mind.
Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee is part of the former group. He tweeted this week:
“I hope and pray that what appears to be Justice Alito’s well-written and well-reasoned draft in fact reflects the majority view of the Court.”
While most GOP members have celebrated this draft, many have also railed against the leak itself. Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, for example, tweeted:
“The Supreme Court & the DOJ must get to the bottom of this leak immediately using every investigative tool necessary.”
