The US is already feeling the first effects of its decision on abortion

The historic decision of the Supreme Court of the United States to annul the protection of the right to abortion on June 24, has triggered a series of events on both sides of the debate.

While the demonstrations against the Supreme Court continued for several days in Washington and other cities across the country, the impact of the decision has been felt beyond the streets.

The return of “zombie laws”

Although the twist does not make abortion illegal, it returns the authority to legislate on abortion to the elected representatives of the states of the country. Eleven of the 50 states that make up the United States prohibited the interruption of pregnancy as soon as the repeal was known.

States like Texas began to implement the so-called “zombie laws”, which had been proclaimed before the Supreme Court guaranteed the right to abortion in 1973, while other states activated “trigger laws” “spring laws”, so called because they were designed to come into force just as the right to abortion was repealed.

Specifically, the attorney general of Texas, Republican Ken Paxton, called on Friday to implement a 1925 law that prohibits abortion, which established a sentence of up to five years in prison for those doctors who help a woman to interrupt her pregnancy.

However, Judge Christine Weems on Tuesday blocked the entry into force of the law, although only temporarily while a final decision is reached.

“Every hour that abortion is accessible in Texas is already a victory,” attorney Marc Hearron of the Center for Reproductive Rights said in a statement.

States like Louisiana have also temporarily blocked abortion bans, while others are looking for ways to re-protect it.

Californians will vote on whether their state Constitution should explicitly protect abortion rights. It is a constitutional amendment presented by the Democratic Party, which has a majority in this body, and which went ahead to guarantee the interruption of pregnancy and access to contraceptives to any pregnant woman who is on Californian soil.

Prevention and tips to circumvent the abortion ban

Beyond the legislative territory, both institutions and individuals mobilized to provide information that would allow the prohibition to be circumvented.

The US Department of Health and Human Services recalled on Tuesday that sending abortion pills prescribed by a doctor through the mail is allowed by law, although many states prohibit telemedicine consultations on abortion.

“Abortive medications are the standard treatment when a pregnant woman suffers a miscarriage,” explained Health Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Becerra stated that this “unfortunate” decision will result in a worsening of health and even the death of some patients, so his office will coordinate with the Department of Justice to try to ensure that states cannot prohibit access to medicines. abortive.

Currently, abortion medication is included among the health services offered by Medicaid, the US government’s public health insurance program for people in need, but only under the assumptions of rape, incest or when the life of the victim is in danger. Mother.

In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Health Department has promised to take measures to “increase access” to abortion medications, Becerra said.

Congresswoman and activist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has also contributed to the cause, sharing advice on “how to protect yourself and access abortion in a post-Roe world” on her social networks.

“Republicans are angry that I am sharing this information. What a pity! Freedom of choice is an inalienable right. Your bodily autonomy belongs to you,” the congresswoman tweeted.

Limit the purchase of emergency contraceptives

Some popular pharmacy chains in the United States have limited the purchase of emergency contraception products, commonly known as the “morning after pill”, due to the high demand generated by the federal ban on abortion rights.

The product, which can be easily found under the trade name “Plan B” and bought for around $50 without a prescription, has been restricted to three units per customer at Rite Aid, which has 2,500 pharmacies in the US,” due to increased demand,” a spokeswoman said by email.

In CVS pharmacies, some 9,900 across the country, there was a “sharp increase in sales” of this product immediately after the Supreme Court ruling last Friday, and a “temporary limit was implemented to ensure equitable access” that will last until tomorrow, a representative said.

“Sales are back to normal and we are in the process of lifting purchase limits, which will take effect in stores and on CVS.com in the next 24 hours. We continue to have a large supply of emergency contraception to cover customer needs,” he added.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Walgreens, another chain that has about 9,000 pharmacies, said that it has not put any impediments to its purchase so far.

“Walgreens can still respond to demand in stores … or door pickup. Right now, we’re working on replenishing inventory ‘online’ for home delivery,” a spokeswoman said by mail.

Emergency contraception is not an abortion method, but it reduces the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex, something that can happen voluntarily or involuntarily, when usual contraceptive methods, such as birth control pills or condoms, fail.

A decision with international repercussions

At the same time that the United States demonstrates the national division on the issue of abortion, other countries took the opportunity to recall their own positions.

In Spain, some 20,000 people demonstrated in Madrid against the right to abortion for considering it “the culture of death”, and celebrated the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States.

In Argentina, feminist organizations carried out a “scarf” in Buenos Aires, in the vicinity of the United States Embassy, ​​to reject the decision of the Supreme Court and support the struggle of their “American companions”.

The French Prime Minister, Élisabeth Borne, was on Wednesday in favor of including the right to abortion in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, in addition to the national Constitution.

“Given today’s setbacks, including in Europe with the extreme right that calls into question the right to abortion, the importance of registering it as a fundamental right is seen,” Borne said during a statement during a visit to a planning center. family in Paris.

Several parliamentary groups have announced bills to inscribe abortion as a fundamental right in the French Constitution.

Borne affirmed the French government’s support for this initiative, but also for including abortion “in the Charter of Fundamental Rights at a European level.”

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