The US Supreme Court overturned a decision that made abortion a womenʼs constitutional right.
This was reported by The Washington Post.
The court overturned the 1973 Rowe v. Wade ruling, which recognized the right to abortion as constitutional. The publication emphasizes that this decision will have a huge impact, as about half of the states are ready to ban or sharply limit abortion.
Thirteen states will ban abortion for 30 days due to previously passed "trigger laws". They take effect as soon as the Rowe v. Wade judgment is overturned. These laws make an exception for cases where the motherʼs life is in danger, but most do not include exceptions for rape or incest," the newspaper writes. The newspaper also writes that a few minutes after the decision, the Missouri Attorney General signed a law banning abortion.
- In May 2021, Texas passed a law banning abortion. In August of that year, the Supreme Court upheld it. It prohibits abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy. The main argument of its authors is that after this period the fetusʼs heart seems to start beating. However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said that the term "heartbeat" is misleading and that in the sixth week of pregnancy appears "part of the fetal tissue that will become the heart as the embryo develops."
- The law gives anyone the right to sue anyone who "helps and incites" an abortion, as well as to claim damages of up to $ 10,000. Exceptions are provided in the case of emergency medical care, which requires written confirmation from a doctor, but not in the case of pregnancy due to rape or incest.
- The law came into force on September 1, 2021. It was called one of the strictest in the country. Because of that law, thousands of women protested.
- On September 10, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Texas, and on October 7, a federal judge issued a temporary ban on the new law, but it has now been lifted.