US Supreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights,

[Delphinium20]

www.politico.com/news/2022/05/02/supreme-court-abortion-draft-opinion-00029473 This is a draft opinion, but it looks like it will pass.

I know most of this board is UK based, but just wanted to share how gutted I am about this. This is a result of the GOP stacking our courts w/conservative judges and will impact hundreds of thousands of women in my country. I'm just feeling really hopeless about feminism right now. The left calls us 'pregnant people' but the right has made us as breeders under law. I'm just utterly saddened by this news.

[cloudcats]

Terrible news.

[thecatfromjapan]

This is awful.
what are the routes to stop this?

[Herja]

I just heard this on the radio. Absolutely outrageous decision. I hope it doesn't happen, but it's looking grim.

I'd say treated worse than 'breeders'. A good farmer, owner or vet would always end a dangerous pregnancy, if known. I strongly suspect swathes of America won't even be doing that...

[Nancydrawn]

@thecatfromjapan

This is awful.
what are the routes to stop this?

At the moment. But after it is passed, it becomes judicial opinion. It's not an interpretation of a statute but instead a judicial ruling.

The only real ways to overturn it are either a constitutional amendment (which won't pass, as they need 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of states to ratify) or a later judicial ruling.

What this does is kick the matter back to the legislatures. The federal Congress is unlikely to pass a country-wide law. So what will happen is that each state will pass different laws. In some states, like the Northeast, there are already provisions that if Roe overturns abortion will become legal by state statutes. But in vast swathes of the country (South, Mid-West) abortion will become virtually illegal.

In Missouri (I think), a state rep mooted a law that ending an ectopic pregnancy would be illegal. Even though ectopic pregnancies aren't viable and will result in serious injury or death if not ended.

That's where we're going.

[Nancydrawn]

Sorry: that was meant to say, at the moment, it is a draft opinion rather than the final thing.

[StartupRepair]

Shocking. The worst outcome of the refusal to confirm Obama's nominated candidate.

[Butitsnotfunnyisititsserious]

America is a terrible place for a woman. This passing will mean a woman has less rights to her own body than a corpse. That's absolutely disgraceful.

[ThisSeemsSilly]

This happened under the noses of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, both of who were too busy focusing on rights of men pretending to be women rather than actual women’s rights. Neither have been able to use the word woman in their press releases about this decision.

[CatDogMonkeyPOW]

They will go after gay marriage and female contraception next.

[BritWifeInUSA]

I’m happy to see it go back to the hands of the people and their elected representatives.

[WalkerWalking]

I know this has been on the cards for a long time, but it's still genuinely shocking that it's actually going to happen. Any rights that have to be fought for can be taken away.

[Delphinium20]

@ThisSeemsSilly

This happened under the noses of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, both of who were too busy focusing on rights of men pretending to be women rather than actual women’s rights. Neither have been able to use the word woman in their press releases about this decision.

I saw that and seethed.

I then saw Hillary Clinton's strong and woman-focused response:

"This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law. It will kill and subjugate women even as a vast majority of Americans think abortion should be legal. What an utter disgrace."

Brought back my anger w/ all my fellow Americans who 'just didn't like her enough' to vote for her.

[SolasAnla]

@ThisSeemsSilly

This happened under the noses of the ACLU and Planned Parenthood, both of who were too busy focusing on rights of men pretending to be women rather than actual women’s rights. Neither have been able to use the word woman in their press releases about this decision.

They could only ever campaign on "people having a right to abortion" not on women's rights.

That leaves the door wide open for all and any to point out that the man has no rights when it comes to abortion (to stop or to force) and any woman who would support legislation which used the term "people" is foolishly trusting indeed.

That splits any suport into ideological camps.

[MarshaBradyo]

‘We will not go back’ on radio made me cry a bit

I so feel for those who do not want this

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Fucking awful!! The US really is a cesspit

[OnlyFoolsnMothers]

Ok if you’re a white male- god help you if female or black- or both!

[Gingernaut]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-61302740

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-59340789

Roe vs. Wade described as 'egregiously wrong' and 'trigger laws' ready to make abortion illegal in 22 states if the SCOTUS repeals Roe vs. Wade make America a scary place today.

With gerrymandering and voter suppression laws also being enacted, Republicans are ensuring that the laws won't change soon.

[ChildDLA]

@BritWifeInUSA

I’m happy to see it go back to the hands of the people and their elected representatives.

I agree with this.

[PermanentTemporary]

Appalling news. The idea that American women aren't worth federal rights is horrible. I will admit I'm nervous as American politics tend to affect other countries too. But mostly thinking of women in the US now.

Times have changed and medical abortion exists so there will be ways - tbh there always have been. But the risks and the prison sentences and the women who will suffer and die because of this.

[hennybeans]

I'm American, although I've lived in the UK a long time. I feel like the America I grew up in is no more.
I recently went back to visit a state that my grandparents lived in and I grew up spending every summer there. The state was unrecognisable. "Go Brandon" flags in every front yard, right wing "I love my gun more than I love my wife" type bumper stickers on cars, anti mask signs up in every business ( over Christmas at the start of Omicron). It felt so hostile. And it was noticeably run down, everywhere had seen better days in every way.

DH and I have always talked about retiring there at some point but we've both said we don't ever want to go back. I won't ever live there again as I'd be afraid that my then adult DC with dual citizenship would follow us and I don't want any potential grandchildren growing up there.

[endofthelinefinally]

Access to contraception has already gone for many women. It depends on the T&C of whatever health insurance you have access to. Many employers removed contraception from their work related policies.
Condoms can be bought, but we all know the problems there.
If you dont have a job you dont have health insurance anyway.

[moiraandthebebe]

Women will suffer and die due to this but it's okay because we 'Murica is getting right with the big guy in the sky, right? 😡

[Vanishun]

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

Ok if you’re a white male- god help you if female or black- or both!

You see, I think this kind of thinking isn't quite correct.

Of course it affects women the most (and women are my priority here) - women also will have less choice in the matter as it's not like men can get raped and pregnant.

However it WILL impact men too, no matter what their skin colour is: they will watch mums, sisters, daughters and loved ones struggle with this, and potentially then even die from unsafe abortions and pregnancies.

There will be men becoming parents who didn't want to any more than the woman did.

And there will be lots of men born and unloved thanks to this bullshit to parents who didn't want them.

So while women are the main victims here, men aren't immune from the issues here, and I am sure that a lot of them are as disturbed as we are, if not quite as scared as we are.

They need to speak up too.

[happydappy2]

I hope American women (and men who value them) organise, rise up and fight this decision. Womens rights to contraception are human rights-we know abortion won't be stopped-just safe abortion. American women currently have equal access to education-they are capable-they must make their voices heard.

[MorrisZapp]

This is chilling, but presumably enough people actually want it to happen, including women themselves?

If elected representatives come up with unpopular policies they could lose their jobs at the next election, or is this something more sinister?