Indiana this Friday has become the first of the 50 US states in passing a law to restrict access to abortion after the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 ruling, known as Roe versus Wade, a case thanks to which the right to interrupt pregnancy was guaranteed throughout the country. After the sentence of last June, several states have restricted it, but until now all had done so with previously approved regulations.
Indiana has restricted the right to abortion through the creation of a new law, an initiative that has been approved by both Houses of the state Parliament and is now headed to the office of the Republican governor of Indiana, Eric Holcomb, for it to be effective. Once this process has been completed, the project will come into force on September 15. In this way, Indiana will join the other nine US states with laws that almost completely ban abortion.
But the bill collects a series of exceptions after several weeks of divisions among conservatives in Indiana. A majority wanted to ban abortion altogether, while a minority believed that some distinctions should be made. Finally, faced with the risk of losing the vote, the Republicans have included exceptions in cases of rape, incest, malformations of the fetus that make their survival impossible if the mother’s health is in serious danger.
“People need to choose,” says a banner during a demonstration in Indiana.
Archyde.com
The results of both institutions have been favorable for the Conservatives, who have won more votes than their political rivals. In the House of Representatives state, the law has been approved by 62 votes in favor and 38 against, with the unanimous rejection of the Democratic wing. In the Senate State have registered 28 in favor and 19 against.
This fact occurs after last Tuesday, August 2, the voters of the state of Kansas will vote in a referendum in favor of keeping the right to abortion intact.
Kansas, the opposite face
The citizens of Kansas went to the polls this Tuesday – coinciding with the primary elections – to vote in a referendum on keeping intact the right to abortion, as it is currently collected and regulated in the State Constitution. The victory has been “overwhelming”, according to the Democrats, with more than 60% of voters who refused to restrict the right to abortion.
“Kansas voters went to the polls in record numbers to push back extremist efforts to amend the state Constitution to take away women’s right to choose,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
In Kansas, abortion will remain legal until 22 weeks gestationbut this vote may mean a paradigm shift in this state of republican tradition (although governed by the democrat Laura Kelly) and in the rest of the United States.
“This vote makes clear what we already know: that the majority of Americans agree that lWomen should have access to abortion and they should have the right to make their own health decisions,” Biden added.
[Estados que han prohibido el aborto en EEUU una semana después de que se derogase Roe vs. Wade]
The organization Planned Parenthood has harshly criticized this referendum because, according to them, the text of the question was not clear enoughin an attempt to “misinform and confuse those who oppose abortion.”
A barrier for anti-abortion states
The uncertainty of some doctors and medical students of the United States on the new laws on abortion translates into a problem for those anti-abortion states. According to various interviews with professionals and students in the health sector, the reason is that many are reconsidering their career plans in Republican states, where abortion laws have changed rapidly since the Roe v. Wade ruling was overturned.
The health care staffing company, AMN Healthcare, has ensured that clients in states with abortion bans have more trouble filling vacancies because some future specialists will not even consider opportunities in states with these types of prohibitions.
The concern that exists is that the limits that come along with the new anti-abortion measures will harm the hiring of young talent, as well as the restrictions on fertility treatments. Even some doctors anticipate that conservative legislatures will try to impose bans on certain types of contraceptivesincluding IUDs.