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News: Recently, the US Supreme Court overruled the 1973 Roe vs Wade decision. It eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.
Implications of the US Judgement
Globally
It will strengthen the feeling that women’s rights that are decades in the making can disappear overnight.
The US
At the level of US healthcare, around half the states would be expected to ban all or most abortions.
In political terms, it is a success story for the conservative movement. But this is a serious setback for the movement for women’s bodily autonomy, and their right to make decisions about themselves.
History of Abortion Rights in the US
American women won the right to abortion about half a century ago.
The Way Forward
In the future, the government can come up with a legislative fightback against the court’s decision.
The overall trend of liberalizing abortion laws from developed to developing countries should not be impacted. The Indian Judiciary and Executive should not take any action which can cause an assault on women’s rights.
Reproductive freedoms are deeply linked to economic freedoms.
Source: The post is based on an article “American Tragedy” published in The Times of India on 25th June 2022.
