US: Suspension of abortion rights reinforces political bargaining and polarization

The issue causing the most turmoil in the United States today is the suspension of abortion as a constitutional right by the nation’s Supreme Court. This is the famous 1973 Roe v. It comes after nearly 50 years of jurisprudence won by the Wade case.

As a result, US states are regaining legislative autonomy over the matter, which should lead to at least half of them introducing restrictions and new rules for situations where abortion can or cannot be done.

In addition to the relevant public health issues involved in this type of movement and all the debate about reproductive and women’s rights, the Supreme Court’s deliberation is important for other reasons:

1. It reinforces that justice is not necessarily objective or purely technical, but also – and essentially – a space for political bargaining. This decision comes after the Judiciary has significantly increased its majority of conservative judges over the past few years. Consisting of nine members appointed by the Presidents according to vacancies, the Supreme Court became an arena of active debate, involving not only fundamental ideological aspects but also direct partisan rivalry.
2. It was released at a very special time: the day after Biden won a historic victory over gun control in Congress. The United States Senate, with bipartisan support, has approved a number of restrictions on the sale of guns in the country, as well as directing funds to programs for mental health and school safety. It is the main promise of fulfillment of the Biden campaign. Good news for Democrats, but troubling and particularly sensitive news for most Republicans. The abortion decision, therefore, comes as a comforting and convenient coincidence for the opposition.
3. In a year of strategic legislative elections where everything shows that voting will be driven primarily by the effects of the country’s economic crisis, the signs are that leaders are trying to regain control of the agenda and set positions based on the customs agenda. . Inflation in the USA broke a record. Debt, deficit, inequality, deindustrialisation, loss of income, consumption and investment capacity. All of this builds on the fact that for decades the hard-to-get-around and conflict in the post-covid world and in Eastern Europe is more strongly impacting the daily lives of North American families. Democrats and Republicans have a hard time dealing with this.

In a socially fragmented country, it is difficult to say whether we are faced with an attempt to fundamentally discuss a multifaceted issue that requires special consultation – as with abortion. Polarizations as a way of trying to trigger the passions of voters with a short-term goal.

Anyone who looks at this decision solely on the basis of their own moral convictions is wrong. This type of discussion is often much more complicated than that.