The US Supreme Court looks set to overturn a landmark ruling allowing abortion for women across the United States, according to a report in Politico magazine. What is the Roe vs Wade verdict, and why is it significant? Take a look… The Roe vs Wade ruling in 1973 gave women in the US an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, and limited rights in the second trimester. On May 2, news outlet Politico published a leaked document – a draft Supreme Court opinion – suggesting that the US Supreme Court is in favour of overturning the Roe vs Wade decision. The draft quoted Justice Samuel Alito as saying, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences.” Draft opinions are not final. Justices sometimes shift their views as the opinion-drafting process unfolds. According to Politico, major decisions can be subject to multiple drafts and vote-trading, sometimes until just days before a decision is unveiled. If the leaked draft opinion becomes a law, abortion would be illegal in at least 22 US states. A look at the abortion laws in the US. Abortion is a polarizing subject in the United States. US politicians too are largely divided on the subject: majority of Democrats support abortion rights and majority of Republicans oppose it. The leaked draft has led to protests in the US by both the camps. Many prominent leaders have reacted to the leak.