Judges can make a decision by the end of June to repeal the law at the federal level. In such a case, it will be the responsibility of the 50 states of the Union whether or not abortion becomes a crime. According to the American vice president, the end of the 1973 decree legalizing abortion would mean a “setback.”

US Vice President Kamala Harris advocated the legalization of abortion in a video conference with two gynecologists and two family planning program representatives at the White House on Thursday (19th). One of the professionals works in Texas, a state where Republican Party representatives have effectively banned the voluntary termination of pregnancy provided by the law known as “Wade against Roe.”

The law that gives women this right is the result of a historic court battle in the 1970s by an American woman against Dallas attorney Henry Wade. She chose to remain anonymous and used the pseudonym Jane Roe.

Kamala Harris, the first female vice president of the United States, has repeatedly denounced the Supreme Court’s intention to repeal the law. “An internal document of the case, published in May on the Politico website, shows that the majority of judges would favor repealing the 1970s decree that legalized abortion.”

If the Supreme Court repeals the law at the federal level, the 50 states in the Union will decide whether abortion is a crime. The expectation is that 26 states, mostly led by conservatives in the center and south of the country, ban voluntary termination of pregnancy. Many members of the court are conservatives appointed during the administration of Republican Donald Trump (2017-2021).

If that happens, other rights will also be threatened, according to Kamala Harris. “The law also protects the right to birth control and the right to marry someone you love, including those of the same sex. Revoking these would restrict those rights,” she recalled.

Oklahoma bans abortion

The Oklahoma Parliament passed a law on Thursday banning abortion from pregnancy. For the text to take effect, it now has to be passed into law by Republican Governor Kevin Stitt.

Inspired by a law passed by Texas in September, the new law in Oklahoma will empower citizens to sue people suspected of having abortions. However, according to the text, the definition of abortion does not include “the use, prescription, supply or sale of morning-after pills or any other form of emergency contraception.”

Planned Parenthood, an organization that advocates for abortion rights, announced that it will sue the state of Oklahoma. Governor Stitt announced on May 3 that she had signed a law banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

Low-income women will be most affected.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned Wednesday (18) during a video conference in Panama City that ending the right to abortion in the United States would be a setback for the human rights of millions of women, especially the poorest. .

“Millions of women in the United States will be impacted by this decision given that they are minority and low-income women, and when we have extremely restrictive (abortion) laws, it has a high impact for women living in poverty,” she added.

“Globally, unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality,” and if the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately revokes the right to abortion, it would go back to “more than fifty years in women’s rights,” Bachelet said. The UN High Commissioner also noted that states should offer women the possibility to terminate pregnancy if they so choose, without imposing restrictive options based solely on preconceived notions.

“States should not impose a certain point of view, but should ensure that all women have access to different alternatives, based on their beliefs, religion, beliefs or decisions regarding their own autonomy and body,” he said.

(RFI and AFP)