Overturning Roe v. Wade | Morning Newsletter

It’s another mostly cloudy day with a high temp near 69. And grab your umbrella if you’ll be out this evening because showers are likely.

Today, we dig into a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights case.

Also, we look at the way clinical trials have changed during the pandemic, reaching more patients of color.

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— Felicia Gans Sobey (@FeliciaGans, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

In a leaked majority opinion, drafted in February and published by Politico late Monday night, Justice Samuel Alito wrote that the court holds that “the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.” He argued that both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which upheld Roe in 1992, “must be overruled.”

The decision, if it becomes the Supreme Court’s final judgment, would significantly alter the state of abortion rights nationwide, with low-income people and people of color likely to disproportionately feel the impact, my colleague Justine McDaniel reports.

The ruling could also set off political battles in states like Pennsylvania, where abortions are banned after 24 weeks, except in life-threatening cases, with some restrictions. In New Jersey, a new state law guarantees abortion access.

Follow our live coverage throughout the day to learn more.

Clinical trials have long been centered on white patients.

In fact, just 5% of clinical trial participants nationally, on average, are Black, according to the American Association of Medical Colleges.

But with virtual and hybrid clinical trials taking center stage during the pandemic, researchers at Rutgers have discovered they’ve been able to reach a more diverse group of patients. Experts say it’s an incredibly necessary and long overdue change.

“You can’t say you have a new drug and it works on everyone,” Carmen Guerra, associate director of diversity and outreach at the University of Pennsylvania’s Abramson Cancer Center, told my colleague Sarah Gantz. “It leaves primary-care doctors and oncologists in a difficult position when we’re trying to treat a cancer patient who is Black or Latino.”

Here’s how this could change medicine for millions of patients.

The Sixers are playing without MVP Joel Embiid, who suffered an orbital fracture and mild concussion playing against Toronto last week. But it’s far from his first injury on the team. Today’s question: He missed the entire 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons after undergoing surgery for what? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. A lateral meniscus tear of his right knee.

b. A torn radial collateral ligament of his left ring finger.

c. A stress fracture in his right foot.

d. A left orbital fracture.

🚗 Learning: What to do if you have an abandoned car on your block in Philly.

📒 Reserving: A spot at Liberty Point, Philadelphia’s largest outdoor restaurant, which opens today.

This West Philadelphia-born musician will be a commencement speaker for the University of the Arts in Philadelphia this year.

ESQVOLUTE

Think you know? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who answers correctly. Today’s shoutout goes to Judy Pidgeon, of West Deptford, who correctly guessed Nakobe Dean as Monday’s answer.

👋 That’s all for today. My colleague Katie Krzaczek will be here tomorrow.