Sen. Susan Collins: Supreme Court Overturning Roe V. Wade Would Be 'Completely Inconsistent' With Gorsuch, Kavanaugh Hearings

WASHINGTON, D.C. (CBS) – Maine Sen. Susan Collins reacted on Tuesday to the report that the Supreme Court appears ready to overturn its landmark decisions establishing the right to an abortion.

Politico published the leak of a draft opinion from the Supreme Court suggesting the conservative majority is preparing to fully overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision establishing the right to an abortion.

The draft published by Politico indicates it was written by Justice Samuel Alito and circulated on February 10. Four other conservative justices, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, reportedly voted with Alito to strike down Roe and have not changed their positions.

Collins, a Republican senator who votes with Democrats at times and supports abortion rights, was a key swing vote on the nominations of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh. In a statement, Collins said the reported vote would go against what the justices told her during the confirmation process.

"If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office," Collins said.

Asked by reporters if she believed Kavanaugh misled her, Collins responded "My statement speaks for itself."

During his confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh said "My position as a judge is there's 45 years of precedent." Gorsuch said during his hearing that Roe "has been reaffirmed many times."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement following the Politico report.

"Several of these conservative justices… have lied to the U.S. Senate, ripped up the constitution and defiled both precedent and the Supreme Court's reputation," the statement read. "Every Republican senator who supported Sen. McConnell and voted for Trump justices pretending that this day would never come will now have to explain themselves to the American people."