Protests erupted across the country when news dropped that Roe was overturned. This picture was taken in Miami.
Update
U.S.: The Struggle for Abortion Rights After Roe Erin Brightwell
T
he Supreme Court’s decision to completely overturn Roe v. Wade, while not unexpected, was still deeply shocking. Even though Republican attacks substantially weakened abortion access over the last several decades, the right to an abortion was correctly seen as a cornerstone of feminist progress won by the women’s movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Millions want to fight back against the right wing, and the Biden administration and the Democratic Party leadership in D.C. face a real political crisis because of their total failure to do anything to protect abortion rights. The immediate effects, as of this writing, are that abortion is now illegal in nine states with a population of 40 million people. This is likely to increase to half of U.S. states in the coming weeks and months. Challenges to abortion bans are working their way through state courts, but in the absence of a major mass movement, the judicial system will not provide any real relief for the millions of women, girls, trans and non-binary people who can get pregnant who will be forced to travel or use illegal means to access abortion care, or who will not be able to access care at all. This will inevitably hit poor
women and women of color the hardest. This is a historic defeat for women and the working class as a whole. Its effects will be felt around the world and will embolden right-wing and far-right forces to attack the gains of women and LGBTQ people. Anti-abortion groups in the U.S. say they will not stop with dismantling Roe and will aim for a nationwide ban, and even a federal constitutional amendment against abortion. In the short term, these are both ruled out. However, if Republicans regain control of Congress and the White House, a nationwide ban could become a threat. The more immediate focus for the right is to try and pass legislation in various states where abortion is banned to prevent women from traveling out of state to obtain an abortion, and also to prevent people from accessing abortion pills. Medication abortion for women in the early stages of pregnancy will be a major issue since it is very safe, does not require a medical procedure, and the pills can be sent in the mail after a consultation with a doctor, which can be done via telemedicine. Medication abortions already account for 54% of abortions in the U.S. (according to the Guttmacher Institute).
