The recent Roe v Wade decision on abortion is a victory for people who wants to limit or ban abortion. The anti-abortion demonstrators celebrate outside the US Supreme Court.
In this article, you’ll read:
- US Supreme Overturns Roe v Wade Decision
- The US Banning Abortion Affects Singapore and Countries With Legalised Abortion
- The Impacts of the Recent Roe v Wade Decision on Abortion
US Supreme Overturns Roe v Wade Decision
On the 24th of June, the US Supreme Court ends the constitutional right to abortion. They took the dramatic step of overturning the 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, which recognises women’s right to abortion.
The Roe v Wade ruling became legal nationwide in 1973. It has been part of women’s constitutional right to have equal access to abortion.
However, the recent decision of the US Supreme Court overturns the 1973 ruling on abortion. It was a momentous victory for republicans and religious conservatives who wanted to limit or ban abortion.
The Mississippi Law on Abortion
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The court upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Mississippi law makes most abortions illegal after 15 weeks of gestation, earlier than Roe, and later decisions allow.
In relation to this, the Roe decision allows abortion to happen before a foetus would be viable outside the womb. It is between 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancy.
According to the justices, the Roe decision was wrongly decided. It is because the US Constitution makes no specific mention of abortion rights.
By removing abortion as a constitutional right, the ruling restored the ability of states to ban it. Twenty-six states are either certain or considering banning abortion. Additionally, Mississippi is among 13 states with so-called trigger laws that ended up banning abortion.
President Joe Biden Condemns the Ruling
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The recent overturning of Roe v Wade marks a very solemn moment for women in the US. The Supreme Court expressly took away a Constitutional right from the American people that it had already recognized. They simply took it away. That’s never been done to a right that is so important to so many Americans.
US president Joe Biden condemned the ruling as taking an “extreme and dangerous path.” He said, “it’s a sad day for the court and the country.” The court did something they had never done before.
According to him, the court “expressly takes away a constitutional right that is so fundamental to so many Americans.”
He also added that empowering the states to ban abortion makes the United States an outlier among developed nations. These are developed countries which aim to protect the reproductive rights of women.
Concerning this, President Joe Biden reassured women by saying that his administration will protect their access to medications. These include pills for contraception and medication for abortion. At the same time, they also exert combating efforts to restrict women from travelling to other states to obtain abortions.
The US Banning Abortion Affects Singapore and Countries With Legalised Abortion
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The overturning of the Roe v Wade decision in the USA means more than just banning abortion. Countries like Singapore and Malaysia legalised abortion with the mother’s health in mind. Some health institutions refuse the procedure depending on the pregnancy term. Meanwhile, other Asian countries also offer
limited abortion laws.
Meanwhile, doctors often prioritise abortion for high-risk situations like ectopic pregnancies. Despite the tragic effect of this procedure, experts prefer to put the mum’s health first. Alternately, personal decisions of requesting abortions usually come from victims of sexual assault.
Following the USA’s recent ban, we expect more women to travel to different countries with legalised abortion laws. Unfortunately, not all mums have the means to travel.
Additionally, the ban applies to all types of pregnancy termination. You can’t get an abortion even if you’re suffering from a high-risk pregnancy. This also applies to women who got pregnant after sexual assault cases. In truth, the overturning of the Roe v Wade decision strips off the rights of American women on their bodies.
The Impacts of the Overturning the Roe v Wade Decision
Overturning the Roe v Wade ruling was a goal for Christian conservatives and several Republican officeholders.
The court’s three liberal justices – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan – issued a jointly authored dissent. According to them,
“Whatever the exact scope of the coming laws, one result of today’s decision is certain: the curtailment of women’s rights and of their status as free and equal citizens.”
Women will no longer have the right to speak of from the moment of fertilisation. It is a result of the ruling that happened on Friday. “A state can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”
House of Representatives Speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi serves as a Democrat denouncing the court’s decision. According to her, a “Republican-controlled Supreme Court” has achieved that party’s obvious goal of controlling women’s rights on reproductive health care.
The Effect of the Abortion Decision on US Companies
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US companies hope to avoid pitfalls due to the US Supreme Court’s decision on abortion. Several well-known US companies have pledged to provide health coverage for out-of-state abortions.
Yelp chief executive Jeremy Stoppelman reacted on Twitter stating, “Business leaders must speak out now and call on Congress to codify Roe into law.”
After releasing his statement on Twitter regarding his thoughts on the abortion decision, a few other CEOs joined him. They believe that employees require access to reproductive care benefits. Below, is a list of companies offering assistance to employees hoping for abortion care:
- Microsoft
- Apple
- Meta
- Yelp
- Disney
- Uber
- Netflix
- Bumble
- Match Group
- Box.com
- Levi Strauss
- Comcast-NBC Universal
- Warner Bros Discovery
- Conde Nast
- JPMorgan Chase
- Nike
- Starbucks
- Dick’s Sporting Goods
- Kroger
- Alaska Airlines
- Goldman Sachs
- Zillow
- HP
- HPE
- Accenture
- Chobani
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