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Abortion clinics have begun to close in several US states, following a ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday that stripped women of their right to such a procedure.
About half of U.S. states are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans, following the court ruling to overturn the abortion decision made 50 years ago, known as Roe v Wade.
Thirteen states have already banned abortion automatically.
US President Joe Biden has described the decision as a “tragic mistake”.
Immediately after the decision, protests began in various regions of the United States.
In Phoenix, Arizona, police fired tear gas after protesters who marched for the right to abortion knocked on the doors and windows of state institutions.
In Los Angeles, protesters briefly blocked highway traffic.
An Arkansas abortion clinic – which immediately stopped abortion – has closed its doors to patients following a court ruling.
The clinic staff called the women to tell them that the appointments had been canceled.
“No matter how much we prepare for the bad news, when it comes, it hits us hard. “Calling all these patients to tell them that the abortion decision has been overturned is a disaster,” Nurse Ashley Hunt told the BBC.
Even in New Orleans, Louisiana – another state that immediately banned abortion – one of three abortion centers has closed and staff have gone home.
Outside the clinic, a female abortion volunteer told the BBC that rich women could still have access to abortions in other countries, but “poor women will face illegal procedures”.
Meanwhile, an anti-abortion protester, Protestant priest Bill Shankes, has said that Friday is a “holiday” for him.
The Supreme Court ruling means that about 36 million women of childbearing age will lose access to abortion across their states, according to research conducted by the health care organization Planned Parenthood, which has helped with abortions.
- The decision against abortion has already been made in Kentucky, Louisiana, Arkansas, South Dakota, Missouri, Oklahoma and Allabama.
- The bans in Mississippi and North Dakota will be enforced once attorneys general approve the decision.
- The ban in Wyoming will take effect after five days, while the one in Utah must be certified by a legislative council.
- The bans in Idaho, Tennessee and Texas will take effect within 30 days.
The decision against the abortion was gladly accepted by the persons who were against this procedure, who came out of the building of the Supreme Court in Washington to celebrate.
But protests against the decision have been held in more than 50 states in the US.
Although this issue creates divisions in the US, a recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 61 percent of adults said abortion should be legal in most cases or continuously, while 37 percent of respondents have said that abortion should be illegal in most cases or continuously.
Friday’s ruling marks a reversal of a ruling by the Supreme Court itself – an extremely rare move – and is expected to spark political battles that could divide the US.
Governors of states like California, Washington and Oregon have pledged to protect patients traveling from other regions to perform abortions.
In these states abortion opinions are for and against – as in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin – the legality of the procedure will be decided whenever there is an election.
In some states there may even be legal battles over whether women can go abroad to perform abortions or order abortion medicines through online services.
How was the decision made?
The 1973 decision Roe v Wade was approved by the Supreme Court by seven votes to two.
Through this decision, women have the right to terminate their pregnancies.
The decision gave American women the absolute right to an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, but allowed that procedure in some cases even in the second trimester.
In the decades that followed, however, anti-abortion decisions began to be enforced on a case-by-case basis in dozens of states.
The three judges who disagreed with the majority decision in the Supreme Court – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan – have said they are upset about the decision for the court as an institution, but more for “millions of American women who have lost a defense.” fundamental constitutional rights ”.
The reversal of this decision has raised concerns about similar decisions for other rights.
Judge Clarence Thomas has said that “in future cases, we must review all the essential precedents of the due process of this Court, including Griswold, Lawrence and Obergefell” – referring to three historic decisions of the past on it. the right to contraception, the repeal of anti-sodomy laws and the legalization of same-sex marriages./REL
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