U.S. Abortion Restrictions
New abortion laws cause confusion in U.S.
Managing Editor Kang Hyun-gi
kangcandace@naver.com
On June 24, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Mississippi State Law, which completely banned abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, and in doing so overturned the 'Roh vs. Wade' case that had guaranteed universal abortion rights for 49 years. The decision on the existence and abolition of abortion rights, which had been guaranteed by the constitution, has now been handed over to the authority of the state governments.
More than half of the 50 states in the United States are expected to ban or restrict abortion by law, while voices of opposition are also formidable. The ban on abortion is taking away women's human rights, and the problem of unwanted childbirth should also be considered. As U.S. states begin to discuss related laws, legal battles and confusion between the pros and cons are also intensifying.
Recently, controversy spread as the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to abolish the right to terminate a pregnancy had drastic consequences for a ten-year-old sexual assault victim, who was denied the right to terminate her pregnancy following the ruling. CNN and other media outlets reported that this young victim, who was preparing to have an abortion following a sexual assault in Ohio, had to be rushed to Indiana for surgery after the Supreme Court ruled that the right to terminate pregnancy was abolished. Katie Bernard, an obstetrician in the state of Indiana was asked by a fellow doctor in Ohio to help the girl get an abortion. The victim fell pregnant due to sexual assault and was six weeks and three days pregnant at the time. While preparing for surgery in Ohio, she had to rush to Indiana to undergo surgery to avoid the state law banning the suspension of pregnancy after six weeks, a law introduced immediately after the Supreme Court's ruling. Ohio, along with Texas, Florida, Missouri, and Kentucky, is a state with the so-called 'Trigger Law,' which automatically prohibited any pregnancy terminations when the 'Roe v. Wade' ruling was scrapped.
One doctor in the United States has said, "Since the Supreme Court's decision to ban the termination of pregnancy, about five to eight patients come from other states every day. Most of these are women from Ohio and Kentucky, states which have banned abortion by law. A lot of women are struggling with their difficulties."
The U.S. is also putting pressure on medical staff who provide abortion surgery, such as preparing a bill to file civil lawsuits against anyone involved with abortion procedures. According to the Washington Post, several Republican-controlled state legislatures are devising laws which allow anyone to file a lawsuit against residents who facilitate others in getting an abortion out of state. The emergency situation of the young sexual assault victim in Ohio created a big debate in the U.S. over the right to terminate a pregnancy. "This ten-year-old rape victim in Ohio was refused an abortion because she was six weeks and three days pregnant. This is crazy." said Josh Stein, the attorney general of North Carolina state.
Immediately after the Supreme Court ruling, citizens took to the streets in the United States to express their position on the ruling. The demonstrations began peacefully, but some participants showed signs of action by knocking on the windows and doors of the Capitol and kicking them. Chanting "we won't go back", protesters converged on the White House. An estimated 10,000 people gathered from across the U.S. Some people even travelled about 1,300 miles to attend the demonstration. One protestor said, "There is nothing worth more to me than fighting for this cause - our fundamental right to have bodily autonomy. If that means taking up space and getting arrested then I think it is worth it."