Liberty lost

THE US Supreme Court has stamped out the flame of progress by taking away a woman’s automatic right to abortion.

By overturning the historic 1973 Roe v Wade ruling they have handed a victory to the bigots and snatched away an essential freedom from tens of millions of American women.

In dozens of states, what should be a personal decision will now lie in the hands of Republican ideologues and Trump-supporting cranks.

Women’s lives have been placed in danger as a result, with a supposedly civilised country being forced to return to the horrific practice of illegal and dangerous backstreet abortions.

This is a terrible day for women in America and a dark day for a nation that once stood as a beacon for liberty and freedom.