justice
US Supreme Court overturns liberal abortion law
A group of anti-abortion activists celebrate with champagne outside the US Supreme Court building after the Supreme Court overturned liberal abortion laws. Photo: Steve Helber/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
A 1973 Supreme Court abortion ruling is still considered a landmark because it allowed abortions until the fetus was viable. Now it’s history.
The US Supreme Court has made a landmark decision overturning the country’s liberal abortion laws.
The mostly conservative Supreme Court in Washington cleared the way for stricter abortion laws on Friday – up to and including complete bans in individual US states. With that, the current abortion rights in the United States are history after almost half a century.
“The constitution does not grant the right to an abortion,” the verdict says. The decision is not a surprise: the magazine “Politico” published a draft of it at the beginning of May. It was already clear from this that the court intends to decide in this way. There was an outcry from women’s rights organizations, clinics and liberals. The verdict is now as drastic as expected. In about half of the states, there are now likely to be extensive restrictions.
subject of intense controversy
There is no federal law in the United States that allows or prohibits abortion. However, abortions are permitted at least until the fetus is viable – today around the 24th week. This has so far been ensured by a 1973 ruling by the US Supreme Court, known as Roe v. Wade is known. Another 1992 ruling, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, reinforced the jurisprudence and adjusted it somewhat. The Supreme Court has now overturned these decisions.
Abortion rights have been the subject of heated debates in the United States. Opponents have been trying to overturn the liberal rules for decades. Under the previous President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court moved significantly to the right. The Republican appointed Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett during his tenure. Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan and Justice Stephen Breyer voted against the decision. They are considered liberal.