Trudeau vows to defend abortion rights in Canada amid SCOTUS leak controversy

As the United States Supreme Court prepares to overturn Roe v. Wade – the 1973 ruling that legalized abortion on the federal level – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau vowed to defend abortion rights in Canada.

"A woman's free choice is a choice to be made by her alone. Every woman in Canada has the right to a legal and safe abortion," Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa on Wednesday.

Last week, a draft of the majority opinion from Justice Samuel Alito was leaked to the media, showing that the Supreme Court voted to strike down Roe v. Wade, the landmark abortion rights decision.

Politico first obtained a draft of conservative Justice Samuel Alito’s majority decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a controversial Mississippi case which could effectively overturn Roe v. Wade and almost 50 years of legal precedent guaranteeing a woman’s right to an abortion.

According to the document, Justices Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and possibly Chief Justice John Roberts support Justice Alito’s decision.

"We know that unfortunately, what we're seeing with our neighbors in the south and even in debates within the Conservative Party of Canada, that we need to ensure that there are protections in place so that we never see people backtracking on that right," Trudeau said.

"We know that unfortunately, what we're seeing with our neighbors in the south and even in debates within the Conservative Party of Canada, that we need to ensure that there are protections in place so that we never see people backtracking on that right," he added.

Although Canada’s top court is unlikely to re-criminalize abortion, pundits worry that the U.S. court’s decision could serve to galvanize pro-choice activists on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.

U.S. President Joe Biden appealed to voters on Tuesday, asking them to help protect abortion rights by backing Democratic candidates who support them in November's mid-term elections. 

"I believe that a woman’s right to choose is fundamental, Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned,” President Biden said Tuesday.