US U-turn shocking setback for women
IN what was a stunning breach of confidentiality, a leaked US Supreme Court draft judgment indicated America appears poised to overturn a landmark case that guaranteed women the right to abortion access.
Five of the nine justices were this week shown to have agreed in principle to throw out the landmark Roe vs Wade judgment in a legal opinion.
If affirmed, thousands will be robbed of their reproductive rights, not just now but for generations to come.
They include school-age girls, victims of rape and incest.
The draft judgment, which is not expected to be finalised for another month or more and could change in its final form, would shift the decision of abortion’s legality to individual states.
It would see elected politicians – many of whom use the incendiary issue purely as a vote winner – decide whether or not women should have access to abortions.
Nearly half the states in the US would almost immediately permit little or no access to abortion, while others with existing bans could enact even more restrictive laws.
The shockwaves of such a decision have gone far beyond these shores, and rightfully so. The draft judgment, written by Justice Samuel Alito, one of the six justices appointed by a Republican president who sits on the court, read: “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.”
He went on: “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.
“It is time to heed the constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.”
Such a move, to my mind, would be a terribly dark day for women.
Without such reproductive protections, thousands will now be forced to endure damaging physical and mental health for those forced to carry pregnancies to birth, all while being subjected to more risks than a safe
termination. Other consequences include a rise in domestic violence.
Expectant mothers who carry unwanted pregnancies to term are more likely to stay in abusive relationships than those who can obtain abortions.
If the legislation protecting a woman’s access to abortion is overturned, many will be forced into their own DIY abortions.
While safe self-managed abortion medications are available online, some people may resort to using dangerous methods to end their pregnancies, such as physical trauma or ingesting toxic substances.
And what
about those on low income or living in rural regions?
They would be the worst hit by such a shift.
Patients with adequate funds might drive or travel to other states or countries. Poor patients, meanwhile, might seek out dangerous abortions.
If Roe vs Wade is reversed, there is no way abortion access will ever be equal.
Doctors, not politicians, are the greatest experts on reproductive healthcare in every country.
They express huge concern that the criminalisation of abortion would have numerous dangerous consequences for the health and wellbeing of pregnant women and girls.
The fact that the charge to end abortion rights is being led by the same Republicans who for the past two years have fought to ensure the Covid jab is not mandated should not be lost on anyone.
The argument they continue to thrust in peoples’ faces is the vaccine should be an individual choice... unlike that of a pregnant woman.
It is yet another example of how the days when the world looked to the States for leadership and guidance are long gone.