US prepares to rule regarding abortion

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
20 Jun 2022 08:09

The Supreme Court gets ready to issue a decision regarding abortion by the end of June.

The US prepares to rule regarding abortion.

By the end of June, the Supreme Court is anticipated to issue a judgment that could reverse a 50-year course regarding abortion in the United States. This is the state of events in the country as the nation's highest court prepares to issue its much-anticipated ruling.

Roe v. Wade

In the absence of federal legislation, the 1973 decision in the landmark Supreme Court case known as Roe v. Wade secures a woman's right to abortion in the United States.

Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 court ruling, maintains access to abortion until "viability", or when the fetus can survive outside the womb, which occurs between 22 and 24 weeks of pregnancy.

States are also prohibited from enacting legislation that would place an "undue burden" on a woman seeking an abortion. This legal foundation could be overturned very soon.

According to a draft opinion released in May, the court's conservative majority is ready to overturn Roe v. Wade.

"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," the author of the opinion, Justice Samuel Alito, wrote. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

Anticipating a reversal, lawmakers in 13 Republican-controlled states have already passed legislation that would prohibit abortion if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

Patchwork

Conservative states refer to the notion of "undue burden" to impose abortion restrictions, forcing numerous clinics to close their doors.

West Virginia and Mississippi, for example, each have one abortion clinic, whereas California has more than 150.

Some states require adolescents to obtain parental consent before having an abortion or listening to the embryo's heartbeat.

Following a lengthy court battle, Texas has prohibited abortions after six weeks, when many women are unaware they are pregnant. Another consideration is money.

Almost a dozen states prohibit private medical insurance plans from covering abortions. However, 15 additional states use public funding to assist low-income women in paying for the surgery.

Poverty and minorities

According to the Guttmacher Institute's most current statistics, there were more than 930,000 abortions in the United States in 2020, following a 30-year drop.

This equates to 14.4 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age, which is comparable to most developed countries.

Nearly half of the women seeking abortions are poor, and Black and Hispanic women are overrepresented as a percentage of the population – 29 percent and 25 percent, respectively.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 92.2% of abortions in the United States occur during the first trimester.

Divided opinion

According to a Pew Research Center poll, more than 60% of Americans believe abortion should be allowed in all or most situations, a figure that has remained largely consistent in recent years.

However, there are significant variances based on political affiliation: 80% of Democrats say abortion should be permitted in all or most situations, while only 35% of Republicans agree.

Moreover, the chasm is growing wider. In 2016, these ratios were 72% and 39%, respectively. Religious belief is also important. In most circumstances, 77% of white evangelicals say abortion should be prohibited.

A conservative offensive

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Republican Donald Trump drew many religious right voters with his vow to name Supreme Court justices who shared their views and were willing to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Trump nominated three justices to the Supreme Court during his four years in office, giving conservatives a 6-3 majority.

Their arrival prompted Republican state legislators to establish increasingly abortion restrictions, several of which eventually found their way to the Supreme Court.