US Supreme Court strips federal abortion rights  

June 24, 2022 is a historic day that will forever change America. On Friday, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned a well-entrenched decision of Roe v. Wade that granted a constitutional right of a woman to abortion. In a 6-3 vote in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which was about a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, the Court now holds that Roe v. Wade must be overruled. This reversal essentially means that abortion is a matter to be decided by state legislatures and voters in those states. Justice Alito who wrote the majority opinion states that the Constitution does not confer a right to abortion. However, dissenting opinions of the three liberal justices blasted the majority ruling saying that a State can force a woman to bring her pregnancy even at the steepest personal and familial costs. Almost immediately, protests erupted in most major cities across America. Democrat politicians condemned this decision and encouraged people to demonstrate in what they consider to be an assault to personal freedom and rule of law.

To be clear, this latest decision of the Supreme Court does not ban or prohibit abortion altogether. Women can still avail of such procedure in states that allow it. As it stands now, there are several states that have existing laws banning abortion, some have laws that were designed to take effect in anticipation of overturning Roe v. Wade and some states have already made steps to limit, criminalize, or ban abortion without any exceptions. Of course, there are states that allow such procedure and with this latest ruling, have extended abortion services to include those who aren’t residents of the state. New York for example has codified abortion in its books through the Reproductive Health Act. This law not only enshrines a woman’s right to abortion but also ensures expanded access and allowed abortions up to 24 weeks. Other steps taken were passing bills protecting medical providers from prosecution, increasing budget for reproductive health clinics and opening the state to out-of-town abortion seekers.

Abortion has long been a hot-button, polarizing, and divisive issue in America. Liberals work hard to protect and enlarge it while conservatives worked harder to limit or minimize it. It was, and has been, always framed as a woman’s right to privacy versus the protection of the life of the unborn. This latest decision has been a result of patient and deliberate actions by conservatives in ensuring that when the right time comes, a more conservative court such as the present setup, could eventually throw out the precedence of Roe v. Wade. And as what we now know, their efforts paid off.

There is more to come in this issue. Already the US Congress has signaled its intention to codify federal protection of abortion into law. Grassroots efforts are underway to ensure pro-choice or pro-life politicians are elected in state legislatures. More states have vowed to uphold the ruling and pass their own anti-abortion bills.

In the Philippines, abortion is not a major issue as protection of the unborn is a constitutionally-mandated provision. With the power and influence of the Roman Catholic Church in the Philippines, and to a great extent, the Filipino culture and values, legalizing socially progressive issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, or divorce is very impossible at this time.

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