Well as expected (and as was leaked), the Conservative
US Supreme Court has ruled 6 to 3 to revoke Roe v Wade .....
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| Two Nations Under God? |
..... and so some 40 million US women may lose their former constitutional right to have an abortion in the first trimester (first 3 months) of pregnancy.
This
has now riven the USA in to two camps, made up of anti-abortion and abortion states, with 17 states either
immediately or very likely to ban abortions, while on the other side, Democrat controlled states such as California declaring that they will now incorporate the
right to abortion in their state constitution.
To say
its a divisive situation is an understatement, and its hard to see
universal abortion rights being reinstated without both a Democrat
President, and the Democrats controlling both the Congress and the Senate.
This
decision may actually be the start of a concerted attempt by conservative Republicans to also
repeal other liberal supreme court rulings on such subjects as, the right
to contraception, the repeal of the anti-sodomy laws, and the
legalisation of same-sex marriage, as Justice Clarence Thomas, referenced
all those rulings as being decisions that in future could be reconsidered, as they are the
other substantive due process precedents previously set by supreme
court's, in his written opinion accompanying the ruling to revoke Roe v
Wade.
One can't help thinking that the USA's claim to be "One Nation under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, is looking very fragile these days, with it increasingly looking like two nations under one god.
Apparently there are 20 states where abortion will remain a protected right and around 26.5 million women of childbearing age live in those states. While Democratic-controlled states like California and New York have said that they will cast themselves as abortion sanctuaries, and welcome women from places where the procedure has now been outlawed.
ReplyDeleteIts just a sign of the cultural split that has opened up in the USA, on issues such as abortion, the death penalty, homosexual rights etc.
A recent Pew survey found that 61% of US adults believe abortion should be available in at least he first trimester, compared to 37% who say it should be illegal.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just on abortion rights that the supreme court is destroying the USA's government ability to rule: In a 6-3 ruling, the supreme court sided with conservative US states and fossil-fuel companies, agreeing that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), did not have the authority to impose greenhouse gas emissions. Thus allowing 19 mostly Republican-led US states to continue using coal as their main power production sources.
ReplyDeleteGoogle says it is now taking steps to remove data from users' location histories that could be used to prosecute women for visits to US abortion clinics after fears that in states limiting abortion, police could try to access search histories and geolocation data on smartphones owned by people who are pursuing plans to terminate a pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteWhile President Biden has said that women travelling for abortions will be protected by the federal government. President Biden said he believed some US states would attempt to arrest women who crossed state lines for abortion access. "I don't think people believe that's going to happen. But it's going to happen" he said, adding that the government would ensure access to pills that caused abortion in states where it was prohibited.
WTF is happening in the USA these days??
Well, in something of a surprise (at least to the Republican right), The conservative US state of Kansas has decided in a referendum to protect abortion rights - in what has been hailed as a major victory for pro-choice groups. Its thought that more than 60% voted to uphold the state's constitutional right for women to access abortion although the official result will only be confirmed in a weeks time.
ReplyDeleteThe shock to the pro-life groups is that this was seen as a cast-iron winner for the anti-abortion campaigners, as just two years ago Donald Trump won the state by 15 points. The fact is, that many 'Republican' women, were still pro-choice, and apparently voted accordingly.
Voter turnout across Kansas was significantly higher than expected in a state where on a primary voting day Republican voters usually outnumber Democrats by two to one. Tensions ran high before the vote, with a Catholic church defaced, and false voting instructions (to 'Vote Yes to keep choice, which actually was the opposite and supported the pro-life campaign) were sent out by text false campaigns. Even the question was slewed, as the ballot was written so that a "Yes" vote affirms that "there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion". Voting "No" against the amendment, would have kept the constitution as-is, meaning that women in the state keep right to an abortion. So they were forced to campaign to 'Vote No' to do so .. however, its still pretty limited as only four facilities in the state still perform abortions.
Although Kansas is still likely to remain a staunchly conservative, its abortion regulations will now remain less strict than many other Republican-led states. Kansas is one of 10 states across the US, that have the right to abortion enshrined in their state constitutions, provisions that can only be overturned through referendums ... but whether this result proves to be a bellwether indication of future referendums remains to be seen.
A Texas Judge Rules that US healthcare plans that cover the main HIV prevention drug free of charge are in violation of the right to religious freedom. So HIV rates could start rising again. The USA is really going through strange times and has lost its liberal heart .... very worrying in many ways.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-62827615
A near-total ban on abortion dating from 1864 must be enforced in Arizona, a judge has now ruled, which includes a two- to five-year prison sentence for anyone who helps someone get an abortion. This law, which predates the states founding, appears to remove even the 15 week barrier that the state had imposed following the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v Wade, which had determined there was a constitutional right to abortion. Welcome to 19th century America ....
ReplyDelete