Second American civil war is underway: The Guardian
4 Min Read
The United States will face itself with no sign of how the future will unfold.
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The second American civil war is already underway.
According to an op-ed by The Guardian, the anticipated judgment by the United States Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade does not prohibit abortions; rather, it leaves the option to the states. As a result, another enormous brick will be added to the expanding wall separating blue and red America.
The second American civil war is already underway, although it is more of a benign split than a fight, similar to unhappily married couples who don't want to go through the anguish of a legal divorce.
The United States of America is primarily urban, racially and ethnically diversified, and young. The other is predominantly rural or exurban in nature, Caucasian, and elderly.
Read next: Biden wants to enshrine Roe v. Wade in face of Supreme Court
According to polls, Americans are increasingly seeking out others who share their political beliefs. Animosity toward members of the opposition political party is at an all-time high. 42 percent of registered voters say the rival party's members are "downright evil."
Almost 40 percent of parents would be angry if their child married someone from the opposing political party. When asked if violence would be justifiable if the opposite party won the election before the 2020 election, 18.3 percent of Democrats and 13.8 percent of Republicans said yes.
Increasingly, each American state is running under different laws.
'No abortions, yes to weapons'
Abortion is nearly impossible to obtain in red states, yet buying weapons is easier than ever while their view of racism and LGBTQ+ laws are vastly different from that of blue states.
Read next: 2021 Roundup: The rise of the radical right
Republican states making it more difficult to protest, qualify for unemployment benefits or other forms of government help, and to organize labor unions.
They're also passing "bounty" laws on everything from classroom speech to abortions to vaccinations, which are enforced by private persons rather than governments who can be sued in federal court.
The blue states
States that are blue are moving in the opposite direction. A right to abortion is being codified in some states, including Colorado and Vermont. Some are assisting out-of-state residents with abortion costs.
When Idaho introduced an abortion restriction that allows families to sue anybody who assists in terminating a pregnancy after six weeks, Oregon approved $15 million to help patients from other states fund their abortion costs.
Out-of-state abortion patients now have more access and legal protections in Maryland and Washington. One set of upcoming California measures would increase abortion access in the state while also protecting abortion providers from legal action from outside the state.
California senators proposed creating the state a safe haven for transgender youngsters and their families after the governor of Texas ordered state agencies to investigate parents for child abuse if they provide specific medical treatments to their transgender children.
Another California plan would prevent the enforcement of out-of-state court orders taking children from the custody of parents who provide them with gender-affirming health care.
The blue state is also preparing to implement a ban on ghost guns and assault weapons, similar to Texas' recent six-week abortion ban, which includes a $10,000 bounty to promote private citizen litigation against anyone who buys, distributes, or manufactures those types of weaponry.
Read next: The Guardian: Next US civil war is already here
What America is going through is similar to Brexit in that it is a slow, collective decision to divide on most issues while remaining united on a few major ones (such as national defense, monetary policy, and civil and political rights).
The open question is the same one that every marriage faces when they divorce: how will the two find methods to be nice to one another?
