The US Supreme Court overturned abortion rights. President Joe Biden promises that the last word has not yet been spoken. what does he mean with that?
There was no shortage of superlatives. A historic decision, it said here, a far-reaching turning point, it said there. A “tragic mistake,” said Joe Biden.
The US President expressed his dismay at the political earthquake that shook the United States on Friday: The Supreme Court overturned the liberal abortion law, paving the way for stricter abortion laws – even outright bans.
The verdict is already having a huge impact on women across the country. In states like Arkansas, Kentucky or Louisiana, abortions are no longer allowed, not even in cases of rape or incest. There are usually only exceptions for medical emergencies. There were nationwide protests.
“It is, in my view, the realization of an extreme ideology and a tragic error by the Supreme Court,” Biden said of the momentous judge’s decision. And promised: “I will do everything in my power to combat this deeply un-American attack.” It’s not over yet, Biden said.
Why not? What power does the US President have in this matter?
Joe Biden goes on the offensive
In the decision of Supreme Courts it is about fundamentals, so the judgment weighs accordingly.
With the majority of its conservative judges, the court overturned the landmark ruling “Roe v. Wade” that had been in force since 1973 – with which the body once enshrined a basic constitutional right to abortion and thus legalized abortions nationwide.
Since then, the guideline has been that abortions are permitted until the fetus is viable outside the womb. This is usually the case from about the 24th week of pregnancy. With the end of Roe v. Wade, there is no longer a statewide right to abortion – the issue is not regulated in any federal law. This gives the states a free hand to ban or severely restrict abortion.
According to the Guttmacher Institute, 26 and thus about half of the 50 states are likely to choose this path. In the future, many women could be forced to travel to other states if they want to have an abortion. For many, this is likely to be very difficult, among other things for financial reasons.
President Biden can do little to counter the consequences immediately. However, he outlined several steps and measures to protect women’s rights:
- Biden announced that his government would do everything possible to ensure women’s right to travel. “A person has the right to travel from one state to another for any reason — that’s nobody’s business, let alone the government,” the White House said. If anyone tries to prevent women from exercising this fundamental right, the Biden administration will fight this “attack”.
- The US President also ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure access to approved abortion pills – including via telemedicine and mailing – is guaranteed. According to the Department of Justice, states cannot simply ban a corresponding drug.
The topic will also play a central role in the election campaign, the President left no doubt about that. “Roe is on the ballot this fall”, . “Personal liberties are on the ballot. The right to privacy, liberty, equality – they’re all on the ballot.”
Biden’s Democrats would like to legislate abortion rights nationwide. But they lack the necessary votes in Congress. Nor can Biden simply restore this right by decree. He therefore insists on getting the necessary majority for such a law and for his party in the congressional elections in November. However, polls tend to point in the other direction – towards gains for the Republicans.
A rift runs through the USA
While tens of thousands of people across the US protested the Supreme Court’s abortion decision over the weekend, some states have already made hard facts: At least eight US states now have de facto bans on abortion. There were violent protests against this, including in front of the Supreme Court in Washington. Donations to pro-abortion organizations soared. At the same time, there were celebrations across the country from supporters of the Supreme Court’s decision.
The division of US society was not only evident on the streets, but also in political action immediately after the court decision: Missouri, Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Utah banned abortions or severely restricted them. Other Republican-ruled states are expected to follow suit in the coming days.
States governed by the Democrats, for their part, took the first steps to care for more potential patients. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has pledged to join other liberal states in creating a “safe haven” for those who can’t have abortions in their own states.
The Supreme Court’s decision is a consequence of Republican Donald Trump’s tenure as US President: Trump had appointed three new constitutional judges, so that conservative lawyers on the Supreme Court now have a clear majority of six of the nine judges.
Trump himself celebrated the verdict as God’s decision.
Source: Stern
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