AOC calls for constitutional amendment on abortion in response to leaked SCOTUS decision

In response to the alleged leak on Monday of the Supreme Court's draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, New York Democrat Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called for a constitutional amendment on abortion.

"The Squad" member said that it's time to "leave it all on the field" and codify Roe v. Wade in a tweet on Monday evening, as she called on Democrats to hold their elected officials accountable.

"People elected Democrats precisely so we could lead in perilous moments like these- to codify Roe, hold corruption accountable, & have a President who uses his legal authority to break through Congressional gridlock on items from student debt to climate," she said. "It's high time we do it."

"If we don't, what message does that send? We can't sit around, finger point, & hand wring as people's futures + equality are on the line. It's time to be decisive, lead with confidence, fight for a prosperous future for all and protect the vulnerable. Leave it all on the field," the congresswoman remarked.

An initial draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito and obtained by Politico revealed that the Supreme Court had voted to overturn the landmark abortion ruling Roe v. Wade.

According to that outlet, the opinion is a "full-throated, unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision," which made abortion legal across the country. The legality of abortion was further upheld in a 1992 decision, known as Casey.

Over the past year, many states across the US have written and passed laws that essentially outlaw abortion past 16 weeks. The law out of Mississippi that was challenged in the court.

Part of that draft ruling states that "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."

A source said that Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh and Barrett had voted in the majority with Alito after December's oral arguments, and as the court was set to reach a decision, that remained the same.

Justices Sotomayor, Kagan and Breyer were all opposed to overturning the ruling, which essentially bumps the abortion problem back to the states, or will require Congress to act to create a law on abortion that would be effective across the country.

Politico stated that the opinion is 98 pages long, still in draft form, and backs Mississippi's right to make abortion illegal in the state. That the draft was made public is somewhat shocking, and "a rare breach of Supreme Court secrecy and tradition around its deliberations."

Because the leaked opinion is still a draft, and is not final, things in the Court could change prior to the release of the official opinion.

"The inescapable conclusion is that a right to abortion is not deeply rooted in the Nation's history and traditions," stated Alito in the draft per Politico.

"The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion," Alito wrote in conclusion. "Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives."