Hacking group Anonymous has issued a threat to the US Supreme Court over leaked documents that showed five Justices of the court planning to repeal America’s abortion ruling.
In 1973, Roe vs Wade granted women in the US the legal right to a safe medical abortion.
However, the leaked plans showed that several of the Supreme Court Justices wanted to repeal that ruling, which would mean that abortion rights would be dealt with on a state-by-state basis rather than at federal level.
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That means that the state someone lives in would determine whether they were able to get an abortion.
Furthermore, it could see the practice banned altogether in some states, regardless of any extenuating circumstances such as medical problems or rape.
It seems that the conflict in the Supreme Court has angered Anonymous, to say the least.
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On social media, Anonymous wrote: "Repealing Roe v Wade isn't going to go the way SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the US) or the GOP (the Republican Party) thinks it's going to go.
"Play with fire, get burned. Don't say we didn't warn you. Expect us."
The warning comes after a draft majority opinion written by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito was leaked, marking a major security breach.
The leak showed that the ruling was to disavow another ruling – Planned Parenthood vs Casey – from 1992, which also maintained that people should have broad access to abortions in the US.
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In the leaked document, Justice Alito wrote: "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 (1992) have enflamed debate and deepened division."
Four other Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices – Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh – supported Alito at the conference.
This document’s emergence represents the biggest leak in Supreme Court history, and is to be the subject of an investigation, according to Chief Justice John Roberts.
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In a statement, Roberts said: "This was a singular and egregious breach of that trust that is an affront to the Court and the community of public servants who work here.
"I have directed the Marshal of the Court to launch an investigation into the source of the leak."
Protesters from both sides of the abortion debate have gathered in cities across the US and outside the Supreme Court to make their voices heard.
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The final ruling of the court is to be heard in June.
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Topics: US News, Technology, Politics
Tom Wood