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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
Has Justice Clarence Thomas openly called for reversing Roe v. Wade?
Saturday, October 3, 2020
By Jacqueline Agustin
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YES
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in a dissent to a June decision blocking restrictions on abortion in Louisiana, wrote that "our abortion precedents are grievously wrong and should be overruled." His is the most explicit call by any sitting Justice to review the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which determined that the 14th Amendment's due process clause implies a "right to privacy" and protects a woman's choice to have an abortion. Justice Thomas in his June dissent called that argument "farcical."
In the June decision, other dissenting Justices based their decisions on the "balancing test," which considers fetal life and the mother's health alongside her right to an abortion.
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Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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