The Fallout from Overturning Roe

The Economist: “After the fallout of the Supreme Court’s decision, America will be more dangerously divided. In the most doctrinaire pro-life states, the abortion regime will be more austere than that of Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, which permit the procedure to preserve the health, not just the life, of the mother. Democratic-dominated states have codified Roe’s right to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, a more permissive standard that that of Norway and Sweden, which have gestational limits for terminating pregnancies at 12 and 18 weeks, respectively. In four states and the District of Columbia, late-term abortion is legally permissible even if the mother’s health is not at risk. And the war over reproductive rights will heat up rather than cool down.”

“Mike Pence, the former vice-president who seems to be contemplating a presidential run, has called for a nationwide ban. In Missouri, doctrinaire legislators are pitching laws to prevent women from travelling out of state for the procedure. Mississippi has passed a law to restrict access to mifepristone—one of the two drugs needed for medically induced abortions, which are now the most common type. Even more creative means to dissuade women from seeking abortions are sure to be devised. The Department of Justice is vowing to fight Republican-led states on these restrictions, auguring even more legal warring.”