The Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe v Wade, starting a fresh battle in this decades-long fight over abortion. In a 6-3 ruling, the court found that there was no constitutional right to abortion, turning the decision of whether to allow abortions or not up to the states. Millions of women are now expected to lose access.
This decision was based on their interpretation of constitutional law, but it's also deeply political. When the court overturns a previous ruling it inevitably looks to critics to be more political than constitutional.
The court has a 6-3 conservative super majority, thanks to the three justices appointed by Donald Trump. He made a specific campaign promise to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v Wade — and those appointments will probably be his most lasting legacy.
Now that Roe v Wade is overturned, 26 states could further restrict abortion access, including 13 states that have passed so-called trigger laws, which would introduce bans immediately upon the court's decision.
Democratic-controlled states like California and New York will cast themselves as abortion sanctuaries, welcoming women from places where the procedure has been outlawed. There are 20 states in all where abortion will remain a protected right. About 26.5 million women of childbearing age live in those states.
As abortion clinics close down in states that have outlawed the practice many more are expected to open near state borders in places where it is still allowed. Those who don't have the time or money to travel may resort to other means — such as ordering abortion-inducing pills online — even if it is illegal.
There were somewhere between 600,000 and 800,000 abortions in the US in 2019. According to the Center for Disease Control, about one in six pregnancies end in abortion, and over 90% occur in the first trimester(妊娠头三个月). Over half of women who get abortions are already mothers, and for most, it is their first abortion.
Further fights may be ahead over how this ruling affects certain types of contraception(避孕) or IVF treatment. And some have questioned whether similar legal arguments can be used to undermine same-sex marriage.
America today feels like one country that contains two very separate nations, inhabited by two tribes that have completely different values, beliefs and goals. Now, they have just moved farther apart.
(Roe v Wade案是美国最高院1973年宣判的一个案子，它通过借道隐私权，确认了美国宪法保障女性的堕胎权。)
