A wave of laws for and against abortion floods the US

Abortion bills, both favorable and contrary to abortion, are flooding the parliaments of the US states in anticipation of a Supreme Court decision that is likely to alter the legal framework in place in the country for almost 50 years.

A total of 1,844 measures related to contraception and abortion were introduced in 46 states between January 1 and March 15, said the Guttmacher Research Institute, which campaigns for women's right to control their bodies.

In the south and center of the country, the most conservative regions with the greatest importance of religion, the projects are generally restrictive, while in the more progressive coastal states, the aim is to preserve the right to abortion.

This frenzy began after the Supreme Court, restructured under the presidential administration of Donald Trump with the appointment of conservative judges, hinted that it could reverse the 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision, which guarantees the right of women to have an abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.

In September, the highest court — six of whose current nine members are conservative — refused to block a law in the state of South Texas that prohibits abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

“The political class took this as a green light to move forward with its own unconstitutional laws and has since decimated access to abortion, state by state, region by region,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president of the Planned Parenthood organization, which operates numerous abortion clinics across the country.

In December, the Court sent a new signal to the religious right: during the examination of a law in Mississippi (south), which reduced the legal term for abortion to 15 weeks, some judges openly raised the possibility of overturning the sentence “Roe v. Wade”.

“We hope that the Supreme Court will soon recognize that every state has the right to pass laws to protect unborn children and their mothers,” said Sue Liebel, a member of the anti-abortion association SBA List.

- Extrauterino -

Noting this likely backward movement, local anti-abortion lawmakers have introduced 519 restrictive measures since the beginning of the year, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Some of them are particularly radical.

In Missouri (center), a legislator proposed banning the termination of ectopic pregnancies, even if they are not viable and endanger the patient's life.

One of her colleagues suggested preventing women in this state from having abortions elsewhere.

His projects, however, are only at a preliminary stage.

On the other hand, the Guttmacher Institute notes that bills focusing on the point of legal deadlines for authorizing an interruption of pregnancy (Florida, Arizona, West Virginia) or medical abortions (South Dakota, Wyoming, Kentucky) are advancing rapidly.

Several states have in turn copied Texas law, which encourages citizens to report doctors or clinics that perform abortions beyond six weeks of gestation in exchange for thousands of dollars of “compensation.”

Idaho passed a law of this type on Tuesday, which only awaits the governor's signature. Similar texts are being studied by Oklahoma, Missouri and Wisconsin.

- Referendum -

Two days after the adoption of the Idaho law, the Democratic governor of neighboring Washington state signed a text that looks a lot like a response.

It states that doctors, nurses or any medical personnel who perform abortions may never be prosecuted in that state.

Although no local text threatened them, “this law is necessary in times like today, dangerous for freedom of choice,” Gov. Jay Inslee justified.

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