“I’m not a killer, I’m a woman with a choice. My body, my choice. Women protest in front of the US Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Photo: AP
The United States is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling soon that could limit abortion rightswhile a security fence surrounds the building to keep citizens away from the judges.
For many, the scene of the imprisoned Supreme Court is an example of how distant the judges are from public opinion, or at least the six Conservatives.
Since the Politico newspaper published the leaked draft of the draft anti-abortion resolution in early May, Hundreds of people took to the streets to protest, including outside court members’ homes.
Congress passed legislation last Tuesday to increase the safety of the nine justices, although lawmakers failed to provide protections for the families of court clerks and other court employees due to Republican opposition.
The 8-foot (2.4 meter) fence returned to the edge of the court after protests over the leaked document that would overturn the landmark decision known as Roe vs. Wade In 1973 the United States introduced the constitutional right to abortion.
At that time, the court heard the arguments of Jane Roe – pseudonym of Norma McCorvey – who attempted to have an abortion performed in Texas, but prosecutor Henry Wade prevented her and she gave birth in her favor before the Supreme Court verdict.
The current position of the judiciary contrasts with the view of about 70 percent of American adults, for whom the decision to have an abortion should rest in the hands of the pregnant woman and her doctor, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll.
The annulment of Roe vs. Wade would come amid a conservative wave trying to limit abortion in the country.
In Texas, a regulation that went into effect in September 2021 prohibits the procedure from being performed after six weeks of pregnancy, when many women are unaware of their condition.
Additionally, bills using language similar or identical to that used in Texas were filed in Alabama, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and Mississippi in the past year.
The lawsuits against an abortion law imposed in Mississippi reached the highest court, which was due to announce its decision on the constitutionality of the measure in the coming weeks.
Thousands of people demonstrated this Saturday across the United States to defend abortion rights, which have been threatened by the Supreme Court, which appears poised to overturn its nearly 50-year-old ruling protecting abortion #AFP pic.twitter.com/xUHlVn3LZc
— Agence France-Presse (@AFSpespanol) May 14, 2022
See also:
Abortion and elections, an explosive cocktail in the United States
(With information from Prensa Latina)