Measures restricting or protecting abortion are flooding state legislatures in the United States before the decision of the Supreme Court, which could alter the legal framework that has governed his practice for 50 years.
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A total of 1,844 provisions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights have been introduced in 46 states over the past month and a halfaccording to the Guttmacher Institute, which advocates for abortion rights.
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Lawmakers in Republican-led southern states have introduced laws tightening restrictions on abortion, while their counterparts in Democratic-led states have raised measures protecting a woman’s right to choose.
The legislative frenzy comes as the Supreme Court, dominated by conservatives on account of former President Donald Trump’s nomination of three justices, is poised to possibly overturn the “Roe v. Wade“, an emblematic decision of 1973 that maintained access to abortion as a constitutional right.
In a 1992 verdict known as “Planned Parenthood v. Casey“, the court guaranteed the woman the right to abort until the fetus is viable outside the wombwhich usually occurs between 22 and 24 weeks.
In September, the nation’s highest court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, refused to block a Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks, before most women even know they are. she is pregnant
In December, hearing oral arguments about the Mississippi Act – which would ban most abortions after 15 weeks – the court’s conservative majority seemed inclined not only to uphold the law but to reject “Roe v. Wade.” The Supreme Court expects to issue a decision in the Mississippi case in June.
Members of the religious and conservative right are optimistic. “We hope that the Supreme Court will soon recognize the right of people in every state to enact laws that protect unborn children and their mothers,” said Sue Liebel of the anti-abortion organization Susan B. Anthony List.
Alexis McGill Johnson, President of Planned Parenthoodwho operates a number of abortion clinics across the country, says signals from the court have given politicians a “green light to move forward with their own unconstitutional bans, curtailing access to abortion state by state, region by region.” “.
Idaho restrictive
According to the Institute Guttmacher, Abortion restrictions were introduced in 41 of the 50 US states between January 1 and March 15.
In Missouri, a bill would prohibit abortion in cases of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancies outside the uterus, mainly in the fallopian tubes), even though they are not viable and endanger the health of the mother.
Another measure in Missouri would prohibit traveling out of state to have an abortion. The laws are currently only in a preliminary stage and would have to be approved by both chambers and signed by the governor.
Legislation restricting abortion in other states is moving more quickly, with some referencing the Texas law, which empowers the public to sue doctors who perform abortions – or anyone who facilitates them – once heartbeats are detected. in the womb.
These citizens can be rewarded with $10,000 for bringing civil lawsuits that land in court, raising criticism of how the state is promoting people to practice law on their own.
Idaho lawmakers adopted a bill last week that also builds on Texas’ ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
It allows family members of “unborn children” to file lawsuits against abortion providers. The bill is awaiting the signature of Republican Governor Brad Little.
Unlike the Texas law, the Idaho bill allows exceptions for rape or incest if a police report is filed with authorities. Similar laws are in progress in Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
Vermont referendum
Two days after passing the Idaho law, Jay Inslee, the Democratic governor of neighboring Washington, signed a law that would bar lawsuits against doctors, nurses or other health care personnel who perform abortions.
“We know this law is necessary because this is a dangerous time for the freedom of choice that people have enjoyed for decades,” Inslee said. Vermont, a northeastern state, has gone even further, with lawmakers passing an amendment to the state constitution enshrining the right to abortion and contraception.
It will be put to a referendum during mid-term parliamentary elections in November and is expected to pass. According to Planned Parenthood, more than 100 abortion rights protection measures are under consideration in several states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP
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