CHOICE WORDS...
AMERICANS MAKE THEIR VOICES HEARD AS THE SUPREME COURT WEIGHS UP ABORTION LAWS
IN A stunning breach of confidentiality, a leaked US Supreme Court opinion indicated that 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 Roe vs Wade ruling of 1973.
If affirmed, thousands will be robbed of their reproductive rights, not just now but for generations to come.
They include school-age girls as well as victims of rape and incest.
The draft legal opinion, 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 officials – 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 to no access to abortion, while others with existing bans could enact more restrictive laws.
The shock waves of such a decision have gone far beyond these shores, and rightfully so.
The opinion, 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 could be forced to endure damaging physical and mental health if made to carry pregnancies to birth.
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 an abortion.
Couple this with the psychological impact of being unable to obtain a legal termination therefore leaving those pregnant considering turning to an unlicensed practice is a travesty.
If the legislation protecting a woman’s access to abortion is overturned, some will be forced into their own DIY abortions.
While safe self-managed abortion medications are available online, some people still use dangerous methods to end their pregnancies, such as physical trauma or ingesting toxic substances.
And what about those on low incomes 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. Their argument is the virus 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.