What are the ramifications of overturning Roe v Wade?

On Tuesday, May 17 at 19:30GMT:
The 1973 landmark case, Roe v Wade, granted women in the United States of America the right to an abortion for nearly 50 years. However, that could soon change.

According to a leaked draft, the United States Supreme Court is set to overturn its own opinion in the case, an act many legal scholars believe could have enormous consequences beyond abortion rights.

That’s because by overruling Roe the court would bring into question other rulings that deal with the basic aspects of privacy and autonomy.

In the leaked opinion, Justice Samuel Alito, arguing for the court majority, says the court’s original decision is ‘egregiously wrong’ because it assumes to protect a right not explicitly enshrined in the Constitution. That has many court observers worried that this reasoning could be used to undo other cases like those allowing interracial and same-sex marriage as well as the right to purchase and use contraceptives.

The Supreme Court and its Justices have long been champions of ‘court precedent’ because it brings stability to law and governance. But what does that mean moving forward if Roe is overturned?

On this episode of The Stream we sit down with a legal columnist and two scholars to better understand the potential ramifications.

On this episode of The Stream, we speak with:
Lydia Wheeler, @WheelerLydia
Senior Reporter & Legal Columnist, Bloomberg Law

Michele Goodwin, @michelbgoodwin
Professor of Law, University of California

Elizabeth Sepper, @lsepper
Professor of Law, University of Texas