Video shows abortion rallies in Texas getting heated between protesters, police
AUSTIN, Texas - Abortion rallies in downtown Austin got heated between protesters and police. Crowds gathered at the State Capitol and federal courthouse on Tuesday after a leaked draft opinion on Roe v. Wade signaled that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling on abortion.
A woman who shared a video with FOX 7 Austin says she was at the pro-choice rally when protesters headed down South Congress. The video shows an Austin Police Department officer as he appears to throw a woman on the ground and another protester is also on the ground in the background.
FOX 7 Austin contacted APD about the video and about what's happening in it but so far has yet to receive a response.
Police did not say if any arrests were made at the rallies.
Some Texas officials weighed in on the leaked draft including Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick who issued a statement saying, "If accurate that Roe v. Wade is set to be overturned, this is a great day for life."
Texas has a trigger law on the books saying that if Roe v. Wade is overturned, 30 days later, abortions in the state would be illegal.
WHAT DID THE LEAKED SUPREME COURT OPINION SAY?
In the leaked Supreme Court opinion obtained by Politico, Justice Samuel Alito says the 1973 landmark decision guaranteeing constitutional protections of abortion rights, must be overruled.
Alito, a member of the court's 6-3 conservative majority who was appointed by former President George W. Bush, went on to criticize the 1992 decision from Planned Parenthood versus Casey, which upheld the right to an abortion.
"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. It's reasoning was exceptionally weak. And the decision has had damaging consequences," Alito wrote.
"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," the draft opinion states.
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The majority draft was written in response to the Mississippi case, Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which bans most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Politico cautioned that the draft was written in February and that it may have already been re-written. Sometimes justices change their votes as well.
If Roe v. Wade is overturned, it would remove the federal guarantee of abortion protection and allow each state to set its own rules.
The court is expected to rule on the case before its term is up in late June or early July.