USA: The Supreme Court abolished the right to abortion after half a century

LAST UPDATE: 20:50

The Supreme Court today overturned the landmark decision “Roe vs. Wade”, which had recognized the right to abortion in the USA in 1973 as constitutional.

The controversial but long-awaited court ruling now gives U.S. states the power to enact their own abortion laws without fear of being ruled unconstitutional by the Roe ruling, which for nearly half a century allowed abortions in the first two quarters. of pregnancy.

Nearly half of the states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortions following a Supreme Court ruling. Other states intend to maintain more liberal rules for terminating pregnancies.

In particular, Supreme Court justices ruled that Roe’s decision against Wade, which allowed abortions, was wrong because the US Constitution does not specifically mention abortion rights.

A draft ruling by Conservative Judge Samuel Alito was leaked in May, setting off a political storm. Today’s decision was also drafted by Alito and largely follows the draft that was leaked.

“The Constitution makes no reference to abortion and no relevant right is implied to be protected by any constitutional provision,” Alito wrote in a decision released today.

The Roe v. Wade ruling recognized that the right to privacy under the US Constitution protects a woman’s ability to terminate her pregnancy.

The Supreme Court in a 1992 decision (Casey) had upheld the right to abortion and banned laws that impose an “unjustified burden” on access to related services.

“Roe was deeply wrong from the start. His reasoning was extremely weak and the decision had disastrous consequences. And instead of resolving the issue of abortions nationwide, the Roe and Casey decisions sparked controversy and deepened the division,” he added. in today’s decision Alito.

Removing abortion from constitutional rights restores the ability of states to pass laws that prohibit it. Twenty-six states are considered either certain or likely to ban abortions

Moreover, 13 states have already drafted the so-called activation laws designed to ban abortions, based on the overthrow of Roe vs Wade.

Prior to the Roe ruling, many states banned abortions, leaving women wanting to terminate a pregnancy with few options.

As a result of today’s decision, women with unwanted pregnancies in many parts of the US are expected to be forced to travel to other states where the procedure will remain legal and available, to buy abortion pills online or to make a potentially dangerous illegal surgery.

It is noted that former Republican President Donald Trump had promised as a candidate in 2016 to appoint judges to the Supreme Court who will overthrow Roe. Finally in the four years of his term he managed to appoint three conservative judges (one third of the total) building a conservative majority 6 versus 3.

All three Trump-appointed judges (Neil Gorsos, Brett Cavanaugh and Amy Connie Barrett) have voted in favor of today’s ruling, which overturns the constitutional right to abortion.

States are already announcing that they are banning abortions

Many US states have already begun announcing that they are taking steps to deny access to abortions in the immediate aftermath of the Supreme Court ruling.

His Attorney General Missouri announced that this conservative Central US state is the “first” to ban abortions. “It’s a memorable day for the sanctity of life,” Eric Smith said in a Twitter post.

Its Republican governor South Dakota Christie Noem also announced that abortion is now considered illegal in this state, in the northern US, as a law had already been passed which was not enforced but would enter into force automatically if the Supreme Court changed its case law.

The law states that “as of today, all abortions are illegal in South Dakota, unless there is a medical certificate confirming that termination of pregnancy is necessary to save the life of the pregnant woman,” she said in a statement.

A little later, her Republican governor Indiana also announced that it was convening parliament to decide on the ban on abortions as soon as possible. “The decision of the Supreme Court is clear and it is now up to the United States to look into this important issue. We will do so as soon as possible,” Eric Holcomb said via Twitter.

This meeting was scheduled for July 6. “We have the opportunity to protect the sanctity of life and that is exactly what we will do,” he added.

States are committed to defending access to abortion

The Department of Justice will use every tool at its disposal to protect reproductive freedom, and federal agencies can continue to provide reproductive health services to the extent permitted by federal law, U.S. Secretary of Justice Meryl Garland said in a statement. Supreme Court on the right to abortion.

“This decision is a devastating blow to reproductive freedom in the United States. It will have an immediate and irreversible impact on the lives of people across the country,” Garland said in a statement. “And this will be very disproportionate to its effect – with the heaviest burdens being felt by people of color and those with limited financial means.”

At the same time, three progressive states on the West Coast have announced that they are jointly committed to defending the right to abortion, following the ruling of the Supreme Court.

The Governors of California, Oregon and Washington today pledged to defend access to reproductive health care, including abortion and contraception, and pledged to protect patients and physicians from “, they stressed in their announcement.

Alaska Airlines will pay its employees to travel to another state

Alaska Airlines announced today that, despite the Supreme Court ruling on abortions, it will continue to cover the travel expenses of its employees to undergo “certain medical procedures and treatments” that will not be available in the areas where they live.

More and more companies are paying the costs of their employees who want to have access to reproductive health services, if the State where they live prohibits them. Alaska Airlines has already done so and said in a statement that “today’s ruling by the Supreme Court” will not lead to the abolition of this practice.