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Why 2022 will be a "dramatic" year for US abortion rights

2022-01-23T00:14:15.630Z


More than 20 states already have laws drafted to ban or drastically restrict abortion rights, should the Supreme Court overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade.


By Lindsay Whitehurst

Associated Press

Debates over abortion rights have resurfaced as a contentious and contentious point in state legislatures.

Less than a month after the 2022 legislative sessions, battles are already raging over the future of abortion in America.

Republican lawmakers are proposing new restrictions modeled on laws in Texas and Mississippi that directly challenge the landmark

Roe v.

Wade.

Meanwhile, some Democratic-led states are working to preserve or expand abortion access.

This hustle and bustle in state legislatures was anticipated, after the majority-conservative Supreme Court signaled it was ready to make sweeping changes to the nation's abortion rights that have stood for nearly half a century.

If the court sets aside

Roe v.

Wade

entirely, the decision to keep abortion legal would rest with the states.

More than 20 states already have laws drafted to ban or drastically restrict the right to abortion, should

Roe v.

Wade.

As legislative sessions begin, some of them are considering new bans.

"This could be a really dramatic year in terms of people's ability to access abortion and decide if, when and how to become parents," said Kristin Ford, vice president of communications and outreach for NARAL Pro-Choice America, a group in favor of the right to abortion.

“By this time next year, we could be looking at a scenario where more than half the country has lost access to abortion.

This will have consequences for everyone.”

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Against that background, California lawmakers will consider plans this year to become a "sanctuary" state for those seeking reproductive care.

They plan to include the payment of travel, accommodation and paperwork for people who come from other states.

“We are facing an all-out attack on reproductive freedom in America.

There are powerful forces working tirelessly to drag us back.

But here in California, we are not going to back down,” said Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, as state lawmakers proposed eight bills Thursday.

"We will continue to fight for reproductive freedom."

Susan Arnall, outreach director for the anti-abortion Right to Life League, said other Democratic-led states are likely to follow California's example.

His organization is fighting against legislation introduced in the country's most populous state.

[The cases of Manuela and Sara in El Salvador are an example of how the total prohibition of abortion threatens the lives of the poorest]

Still, he said abortion opponents have gained the upper hand across the United States.

"Life is winning and the abortion industry is losing," Arnall said.

Other Democratic-leaning states are not following in California's footsteps, though New Jersey recently became the 15th state to protect abortion rights in state law, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights think tank.

Vermont could move this year toward enshrining "reproductive autonomy" in its constitution.

In Michigan, abortion rights groups are seeking an amendment enshrining that right in the state constitution.

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Dec. 10, 202100:29

Meanwhile, at least seven states could follow Texas, which has already effectively banned abortions after six weeks, through a law strategically drafted to avoid a federal court challenge.

The Supreme Court has allowed the law to remain in effect, although it appears to contradict the

Roe

decision

.

Similar proposals have been filed in Ohio, Alabama, Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida and Arizona.

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a likely 2024 presidential candidate, released a proposal Friday modeled on Texas.

She said that she would "ensure that both unborn children and their mothers are protected in South Dakota."

Other states that already ban abortions starting at six weeks could also amend those measures to more closely mimic the Texas law and get them to take effect, said Katie Glenn, government affairs adviser for Americans United for Life, an anti-abortion group. .

The Texas law is unusual in that it allows citizens to file civil lawsuits against anyone who helps another have an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.

[Argentina approves a historic law that legalizes abortion until week 14]

More than a dozen states have passed bans on abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, but courts have blocked those efforts.

That has made the Texas model more attractive to conservative lawmakers.

Meanwhile, at least three Republican-led states -- Arizona, Florida and West Virginia -- are considering banning the procedure after 15 weeks, similar to the Mississippi law that the Supreme Court appeared to view favorably during arguments in December.

According to

Roe

, abortions are legal until such time as a fetus can survive outside the womb

, which is usually around 24 weeks.

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In Florida, which currently allows abortions up to that stage, Republican legislative leaders are optimistic about a proposal to ban it after 15 weeks, with some exceptions related to the health of the pregnant woman.

However,

no exceptions contemplate rape or incest.

“There is a lot of pro-life legislation.

And we are going to welcome her with open arms,” Republican Governor Ron DeSantis told reporters earlier this month.

DeSantis is seeking re-election this year and is considered a top Republican contender for the presidency in 2024.

In another important change last year, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made a regulatory change that allows people to access abortion medications by mail after obtaining a prescription online.

This promises to be another front in the legal debate over abortion.

Some states may allow doctors to opt out of dispensing medications if they oppose abortion.

Last year, eight states passed measures restricting the mailing of abortion drugs in anticipation of the FDA's decision.

A handful of states including Republican-led Iowa will debate bills on the issue this year, said Elizabeth Nash, a state policy analyst at the Guttmacher Institute.

Last year was the "worst year for abortion rights" since the

Roe

decision in 1973, Nash said, with more than 100 restrictions enacted in states.

“It looks like the state sessions in 2022 will also be very active on the issue of abortion restrictions,” he said.

“It is as if we are at the beginning of another wave.”


Source: telemundo

All news articles on 2022-01-23

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