The US Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade which has guaranteed constitutional abortion rights for almost 50 years. The watershed decision we all feared would come about following the Court's leak in May will result in millions of women soon losing their legal right to abortion, handing over the power to determine a woman's right to a termination to each of the 50 US states.
On Friday June 24, the Court voted to revoke a woman's right to choose abortion, resulting in one of the most life-changing and controversial rulings by the Court in recent history. Until now, Roe v. Wade has protected the right to an abortion up to the point a foetus can survive outside the womb. The law was established in 1973 after a Texan woman (known by the legal pseudonym ‘Jane Roe’) filed a lawsuit wanting an abortion when it was illegal except when saving the mother's life.
'After today, young women will come of age with fewer rights than their mothers and grandmothers had,' Associate Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in a dissent joined by the Court's two other liberal justices. 'The majority accomplishes that result without so much as considering how women have relied on the right to choose or what it means to take that right away.'
Messages of outcry and shock have reverberated across social media since the news was announced.
Here is a round up of the most compelling and powerful posts that have been shared so far today:
The Court voted 6-3 in favour of overturning Roe v. Wade.
Anti-abortion and pro-abortion groups were seen gathering outside the Court in Washington DC ahead of the ruling, resulting in celebratory scenes among Republicans and religious conservatives who wanted to ban terminations, as well as frustration and tears from the latter.
Sky News reports that at least 25 states are preparing to introduce new laws, or reinstate dormant laws, which make it illegal to access abortion in many cases, even including, in some cases, when pregnancies have resulted from rape or incest.
Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi are three of 13 states which have 'trigger bans' in place, which mean terminations will be banned as of today or in the coming days.
BPAS is the UK's leading provider of NHS-funded abortion care. Call 03457 30 40 30 to find out more information or book an appointment.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
