A leaked document from the US Supreme Court has suggested that women in many US states are about to lose their legal right to abortion, a right that has been guaranteed since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision enshrined the right in US Federal Law.
The document, published by website Politico, indicates that 5 of the 9 judges sitting on the Supreme Court will rule against Roe v. Wade. The court, on which judges have a seat for life, is heavily conservative leaning, particularly since the death of liberal judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the appointment of an arch conservative by then president Donald Trump.
13 states have 'trigger laws', which means their laws will change instantly with a supreme court ruling against Roe v. Wade, while another 9 states would be expected to join their banning of abortion. This means as many as 36 million American women will almost overnight lose their right to abortions.
US President Joe Biden has come out strongly against the possibility of the Supreme court ruling against Roe v. Wade and has said it is the result of political extremism under the 'MAGA crowd'. MAGA being 'Make America Great Again' the campaign slogan under which Donald Trump ran in 2016.
The president has also suggested that gay rights such as equal marriage, the rights of ethnic minorities, and other rights of women may also come under attack in Republican states if the supreme court allows states to make decisions independent of the federal government.
Biden said:
"What are the next things that are going to be attacked? Because this Maga crowd is really the most extreme political organization that exists in American history. This is about a lot more than abortion... What happens if you have a state change the law, saying that children who are LGBTQ can't be in classrooms with other children? Is that legit?"
While US vice-president Kamala Harris added:
"How dare they tell a woman what she can do and cannot do with her own body? How dare they? How dare they try to stop her from determining her own future? How dare they try to deny women their rights and their freedoms? Which party wants to expand our rights? And which party wants to restrict them? It has never been more clear. Which party wants to lead us forward? And which party wants to push us back? You know, some Republican leaders, they want to take us back to a time before Roe v Wade."
[Based on reporting by: BBC]
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