“Abortion as a constitutional right has no basis in text, (…) history or tradition,” said Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch in a letter to the Supreme Court. This is expected to deal with the Mississippi law in question, which prohibits abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, in its next term starting in October. A decision is expected in June 2022 at the earliest.
Fitch criticized the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case, which practically legalized abortion in the US, as “outrageously wrong.” At that time, the judges ruled that the decision about an abortion rests with the pregnant woman as long as the child is not yet able to survive on its own.
If the Supreme Court does not overturn its previous judgment, it should at least recognize the Mississippi abortion ban without a viability restriction, said Fitch. The Mississippi law had come to the Supreme Court after two lower courts ruled it unconstitutional. Should the court find Mississippi law constitutional, it should have profound consequences for pregnant women in the United States.
What is the conservative majority doing?
The case is the first time the subject of abortions is being dealt with in the Supreme Court since the court received a conservative majority after new judges were appointed under ex-President Donald Trump. Currently, six of the nine judges are considered conservative, which increases the chances of the “Roe versus Wade” judgment being overturned or weakened. With its decisions on particularly contentious issues such as abortion, immigration or same-sex marriages, the Supreme Court repeatedly sets the course for US society.
Der Supreme Court in Washington
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Abortion is a highly competitive issue in the United States. Conservative and Christian activists want to reverse the basic legalization of abortions. As a devout Catholic, US President Joe Biden rejects abortions, but defends women’s right to self-determination. In the Democratic primary campaign, he yielded to pressure from the left wing of the party and spoke out in favor of defending “women’s rights and health” in the face of the recent conservative campaign against abortion.
Arkansas ban on abortion prevented
It was only on Wednesday that a US court blocked an almost complete ban on abortion in the state of Arkansas. A corresponding law should actually come into force on July 28th – a court issued an injunction against it. With the law, women would be “exposed to an immediate threat to their constitutional rights,” wrote the judge in her reasoning.
Conservative Governor Asa Hutchinson signed a controversial law in March that bans abortions even after rape or incest. The only exceptions are when it comes to saving the mother’s life in a medical emergency.
The civil rights organization ACLU, which had opposed the law with other organizations such as Planned Parenthood, also commented on the case. Speaking on behalf of the ACLU, Meagan Burrows said, “Today’s court decision should serve as a strong warning to anti-abortionists in Arkansas and other states that they cannot deprive people of the deeply personal choice of whether to have an abortion or one Want to continue pregnancy. “
kle / sti (afp, ape, rtre, dpa)
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