More than half of all US states have some kind of abortion ban law that will likely now take effect following Friday’s news that Roe v Wade has been overturned by the United States Supreme Court.
Last month, a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion written by Samuel Alito and published by POLITICO revealed that the court voted to strike down the landmark 1973 ruling, which legalized abortion in the United States.
Alito wrote in part, ‘Roe was egregiously wrong from the start.’ The George W. Bush-appointed justice goes on to say that the issue of abortion should be returned to the ‘people’s elected representatives’ to decide.
The opinion was drafted in February 2022.
Republican-appointed justices – Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted with Alito.
And states across the country have been laying the groundwork for what comes after the more than 40-year-old ruling is nullified.
According to the pro-reproductive rights group The Guttmacher Institute, at least 22 states have laws on the books that would come into effect once the decision is officially adopted.
The organization also identified four more states that it expects to pass new abortion bans in the near future, marking a total of 26 states that appear set to ban the procedures
The 18 states that have near-total bans on abortion already on the books are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
In addition, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, and South Carolina all have laws that ban abortions after the six-week mark.
At the time of writing, those six-week bans have been ruled unconstitutional.
On the same day as the Alito opinion was made public, The Washington Post reported that Republican lawmakers were plotting with pro life activists for a federal ban on abortions if Roe was overturned and the GOP won back the house.
The institute also says that four other states: Florida, Indiana, Montana and Nebraska, are likely to pass bills when Roe v Wade is overturned.
Florida already has a 15-week abortion ban that will go into effect in July 2022. The law does not make any exceptions for cases of rape or incest. There is an exception if the health of the patient is in danger.
In signing the law into effect, Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement, ‘Life is a sacred gift worthy of our protection, and I am proud to sign this great piece of legislation which represents the most significant protections for life in the state’s modern history.’
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Source: Daily Mail
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