For almost 50 years, American women have had the right to self-determined abortion. A majority in the US Supreme Court has now removed this right at the national level. Now the US states themselves will decide whether it is allowed to have an abortion. Former President Donald Trump says it was right for the Supreme Court to remove the right to abortion. “God made the decision,” he told Fox News. – It sends everything back to the states, where it has always belonged, he adds. – That they are now turning course is quite historic, says US expert Sofie Høgestøl. She says that the verdict was as expected – since a draft from the Supreme Court was leaked in early May. There was the following revelation: The majority of the Supreme Court judges would go in to ban the right to self-determined abortion. It sends shock waves through the United States. This is the abortion dispute in the USA * The USA has no formalized, national abortion law similar to the one we have in Norway. Instead, it is a Supreme Court decision from 1973 that secures women’s right to abortion. The ruling is referred to as «Roe vs. Wade ». * A later ruling stated that American women have the right to have an abortion until the fetus is viable. In the United States, this limit is set at the 23rd or 24th week of pregnancy. In Norway, abortion is only accepted exceptionally after week 22, and Norwegian women who want to have an abortion after week 12 must send an application to an abortion board. * The abortion issue is very hot in the United States. Opposition to abortion is particularly strong in conservative states in the south and in the Midwest. In more liberal areas on the east and west coasts, people are more in favor of women’s right to abortion. * Over time, the issue of abortion has become increasingly polarized, as have many other political issues in the United States. * Opinion polls have over time shown that a majority of the American population wants to preserve «Roe vs. Wade ». * Former President Donald Trump has appointed three Supreme Court justices, all of whom are considered politically conservative. This gave the US Supreme Court a conservative majority. * The court is currently reviewing an abortion law passed in Mississippi. It bans most abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy. A ruling is expected this summer. * A draft ruling in the Mississippi case was leaked to the news site Politico and published on May 2. The draft indicates that the Supreme Court will accept the law in Mississippi and in practice repeal the federal right to abortion that was secured with the ruling “Roe vs. Wade ». (Sources: AFP, TT, Washington Post, Guttmacher, NTB) Changes the course The decision on abortion comes already the day after the right to bear arms in public was extended by the Supreme Court in the USA. During Trump’s presidency, he was allowed to elect three Supreme Court justices to the United States Supreme Court. This has led to the majority in the court now being conservative, and elected by Republican presidents. – I think it shows how important it was for Trump to bring in these conservative judges. Now they are really changing the course of American Supreme Court, Høgestøl points out. She is a lawyer and associate professor of law at the University of Oslo. – If they turn the course in the abortion issue and in the weapons issue: What other questions are on the block next? What else will be re-evaluated? she asks. According to Insider, judges in the US Supreme Court, Clarence Thomas, on Friday argued that the court should now “reconsider” decisions on contraception and same-sex marriage. – Will show the polarization – For me, this ruling is not unexpected or shocking, but it marks a milestone for the American Supreme Court, says Høgestøl. The abortion issue is very inflamed. The verdict provokes strong reactions. Høgestøl believes the verdict is helping to increase the distance between the extremes in the abortion debate. – The consequence of the verdict is that it shows the polarization. The states are divided on the issue. It already has our divisions, but it is only more visible now, she states. DON’T SURPRISE: Sofie Høgestøl, a lawyer and associate professor of law at the University of Oslo, is not surprised by the abortion verdict in the USA. Photo: Kristian Elster / news – 150 years back in time Six Supreme Court judges voted for the verdict to be set aside, while three wanted to keep it. President Joe Biden, who is an advocate for abortion rights, is disappointed. – It is a sad day for the court and for the country, he says. Biden thinks the decision put the United States 150 years back in time. – We must have clearly managed to say that women say health and life are in danger in this country, he expressed at the press conference after the abortion verdict. Former President Barack Obama describes the decision as an attack on an essential freedom of millions of Americans. The Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, however, says that the decision is “brave” and “correct”. More states introduce bans In half of the states, abortion bans can become a reality. 26 states have signaled that they will tighten or ban abortion, according to The Guardian. Missouri has already passed an abortion ban a few hours later. Texas has the same thing. – In a conservative state, such as Texas, this has been a struggle to regain power over the abortion issue from the US Supreme Court, says Høgestøl. She says many of the so-called conservative states have been waiting for the verdict. – There has been a long struggle, where the Supreme Court says that all states must offer abortion services, and then there are some states that do not wish to do so. FURTHER: – People will die because of this decision, says the democratic politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from the Democrats, who for several years has had a clear voice when it comes to women’s rights and abortion, wrote on Twitter that the decision will make abortion more dangerous, especially for poor and marginalized groups. Almost half of the women who wish to have an abortion in the United States live below the poverty line. – People will die because of this decision. And we will never stop until the abortion rights are up in the United States.
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