The US Supreme Court is preparing to overturn the country’s nationwide legal right to abortion.

A leaked document, seen by Politico, suggest a majority of five justices have decided to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion in the US.

The website reports that the draft opinion is a “full-throated” and “unflinching repudiation of the 1973 decision”.

The document, labelled the “Opinion of the Court”, notes that a majority of judges believe that Rose and Casey must be overruled”.

Opinions have been known to change during the drafting process and the court’s decision on the matter will not be final until it issues its official holding before the end of its term in June or early July.

In a tweet overnight, Planned Parenthood said “our deepest fears are coming true”.

“While abortion is still legal, tonight's report makes clear our deepest fears are coming true,” it said.

“We have reached a crisis moment for abortion access. We don't have a moment to spare - we must act now.”

It noted that abortion is still a legal right in the US – despite the “outrageous” and “unprecedented” draft opinion.

In a joint statement, the Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said: “If the report is accurate, the Supreme Court is poised to inflict the greatest restriction of rights in the past fifty years - not just on women but on all Americans.

“The Republican-appointed Justices' reported votes to overturn Roe v. Wade would go down as an abomination, one of the worst and most damaging decisions in modern history.

Democratic senator and activist Bernie Sanders said people needed to act now to “pass legislation that codifies Roe v Wade as the law of the land”.

With reporting from IRN.