As the country adapts to the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse Roe v. Wade, actions are being taken to defend abortion rights. Following the US Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the federal constitutional right to an abortion, efforts are being made to maintain those rights in some states. Saturday marked the first day in nearly 50 years without statewide protection.
At least 10 states had effectively banned abortion as of Saturday night as a result of Friday’s landmark decision that overturned the 1973 legal precedent known as Roe v. Wade. In the coming days and weeks, various trigger laws restricting abortion are anticipated to be passed in Wyoming, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and Idaho, among other five states. According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that promotes abortion rights, there are laws in 26 states that might outlaw or severely restrict abortions, thereby outlawing the operation in certain areas.
Utah, one of the states that acted swiftly to outlaw the majority of abortions, has already filed a lawsuit.
The state’s top officials are being sued by Planned Parenthood on the grounds that a recently passed bill breaches numerous civil liberties outlined in the state constitution. According to Utah law, abortions are permitted in three situations: when the mother’s health is in danger, when a foetus has been identified as having consistently diagnosable health issues, or when the mother’s pregnancy was brought on by rape or incest.
The complaint, which names the governor and the attorney general as defendants, claims that carrying out an abortion in Utah in violation of its ban is now almost always a second-degree criminal. In the complaint, it is claimed that a number of constitutional rights, including the right to decide the make-up of one’s family and the right to equal protection, are violated by the new abortion law. It further claims that the law breaches the rights to privacy, physical integrity, and freedom from forced servitude and that it has a different effect on women than on males.
“In addition to the few abortions that are allowed by the Act, PPAU (Plaintiff Planned Parenthood Association of Utah) and its personnel were compelled to stop conducting abortions in Utah as soon as the Act went into effect. PPAU’s health clinics would continue offering abortions if relief were granted in this situation, which would be in violation of all Act exceptions “The complaint states.
Governor Spencer Cox’s office has been contacted by CNN for comment regarding the case, but as of Saturday, no answer had been received. According to CNN, the office of Attorney General Sean D. Reyes declined to comment on the complaint.
After his Republican-controlled state legislature declined to repeal the state’s 1849 law banning abortion, which is taking effect once more as a result of the Supreme Court decision, Wisconsin’s Democratic governor, Tony Evers, vowed to “fight this decision in every way we can with every power we have.” In a statement released on Friday, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said, “Our office is studying today’s judgment and will be releasing further information about how we intend to go ahead next week.”
During protests, protesters were detained
This weekend, protesters from small villages and large cities around the country took to the streets to voice their opinions about the High Court’s ruling. Additional events are scheduled for Sunday. In response to the decision, hundreds of protesters gathered in Greenville, South Carolina, on Saturday. At least six people were detained at the gathering, which was attended by both those who supported and opposed the decision.
Emily Porter, 23, told CNN that as she was protesting the decision, she witnessed police tackle a woman who had just crossed the street after stepping off the sidewalk. Porter told CNN, “I was really upset to witness them take an older woman to the ground. “They could have held her in a respectable manner if they wished to hold her,” Porter claimed that once the woman was tackled, a number of bystanders stepped off the sidewalk to help the victim, which prompted police to detain them. Porter told CNN, “I never imagined I’d be in the heart of all this. “I was furious, scared, and confused.”
Tasers or pepper spray were not used during the arrests, according to Greenville Police, and the event would be investigated. Two persons were detained in the nation’s capital on Saturday after they were suspected of “throwing paint over the fence by the U.S. Supreme Court,” according to a tweet from the US Capitol Police.
After protestors marched against the Supreme Court decision in New York City, police reported at least 20 persons were “taken into custody with charges pending.” Regarding the arrests, no other information was given. Law enforcement officers in Phoenix deployed tear gas on Friday night to scatter thousands of protestors who were rallying in front of the State Senate.
The defense of reproductive rights
While some states attempt to restrict abortion rights, others are improving the protection of and increasing access to and funding for abortion.
Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, signed an executive order on Saturday that offers safeguards to those coming from places where abortion is prohibited or criminalized in order to receive reproductive health care there. In a statement, he stated that “our administration is doing everything we can to defend people’s right to make their own health care decisions.”
The statement comes as the lone abortion facility in adjacent North Dakota, Red River Women’s Clinic, gets ready to relocate its operations to Minnesota. Following the Supreme Court’s decision, many states have trigger laws in place that try to outlaw abortion. North Dakota is one of these places. After the state’s attorney general certifies the decision, the statute will take effect 30 days later.
A “sanctuary state” for individuals’ right to reproductive freedom was guaranteed by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee on Saturday as well. Inslee also mentioned a forthcoming executive order that will instruct state police to defy requests for extradition from other jurisdictions that aim to punish people who travel to Washington for abortions. He omitted to say when the executive order would be made public or when it would go into force.
Ahead of the anticipated inflow of patients, the Democratic governor has promised to contribute $1 million to start funding reproductive healthcare networks around the state. Contributors to this report from CNN include Hannah Sarisohn, Sharif Paget, Claudia Dominguez, Keith Allen, Sara Smart, Kate Conerly, and Andy Rose.
