Something is rotten in the state of Denmark!... Except we're talking about the USA and not Denmark, and what's rotten is the Supreme Court's decision to end women's rights to abortions that have been granted by the iron-clad Roe v. Wave court ruling in 1973. Well, it turns out it wasn't iron-clad after all. Once the supreme court judges announced their decision on Friday, multiple states moved to ban abortions only hours after the ruling came into effect. Here are those states.
Utah
Utah has introduced the "trigger law" that ceases all the abortions except for rape and incest, which must be reported to authorities, and also in the following situations:
Existence of "a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” of the pregnant woman.
“Two physicians who practice maternal-fetal medicine concur ... that the fetus has a defect that is uniformly diagnosable and uniformly lethal,” or “has a severe brain abnormality that is uniformly diagnosable.”
Planned Parenthood already filed a lawsuit against the state's "trigger law."
Ohio
The legislation of Ohio introduced the 6-week abortion ban, which dictates that women can only seek abortions in the first 6 weeks of pregnancy.
Once 6 weeks pass, there is no exception for rape or incest. The only exception can be granted in the following situation:
It allows "doctors to present an “affirmative defence,” legal arguments that could only come into play after a doctor has been charged with an offence if the life of the pregnant person was at risk at the time of the abortion. The defence only works if the abortion happened in a hospital, and does not allow for risks that involve mental health."
It's important to note that the acceptable "affirmative defence" is when the pregnancy presents a serious risk to the pregnant person.
Alabama
The state of Alabama attempted to ban abortions in 2019, but a federal judge placed an injunction to prevent that law from going into effect. As of Friday, the injunction was lifted.
There is no exception for rape or incest, and the only women who could get abortions are those whose lives are threatened if the pregnancy continues.
Arkansas
Similar to Alabama, Arkansas tried to ban abortions in 2019. It didn't work out. But now that Roe v. Wade is no longer effective, the state banned abortions.
Like in Alabama, the only exception is granted to women whose lives might be in danger unless an abortion is performed. No mercy for rape and incest victims.
Missouri
This state also has a "trigger law" that came into effect the moment Roe v. Wade got overturned.
West Virginia
The state's only abortion clinic ceased its operation. But as of right now, it's unclear whether West Virginia will re-enact its over-a-century-long law banning all abortions, with no exceptions granted.
Attorney General of WV, Patrick Morrisey, said he would review the Supreme Court ruling and produce his own legal analysis of the effect on state law.
Arizona
Abortion services also became unavailable in Arizona, although the state hasn't officially announced a ban.
Conclusion
I and many others are horrified about one of the most important human rights being taken away from women. But as of today, it's unclear what the country will look like in a few months or years.
Some states have banned abortions, while others have yet to make that decision. We would have to follow the news to find out what happens next.
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