Great panic in both America and Holland. A draft US Supreme Court ruling was leaked this week that could mean that abortion is essentially no longer legal in America.
I will not take on the technical details. But if the draft ruling becomes final, US states will be able to decide for themselves whether and to what extent abortion is permitted. Not much is expected to change in about half of the US states. These are the states where Democrats are usually in power. Republicans dominate in the other half of the states and the right to abortion is expected to be curtailed there: it’s no longer allowed for 24 weeks, but for 15 weeks, for example.
You might say: You can talk about the reasonable term in democracy. You have the interest of the woman and the interest of the fetus. There are arguments about zero week and arguments for 24 weeks and maybe later as well. And in a democratic process like the one that takes place in the American states, you have to be able to work together, of course without everyone having exactly their way.
But that’s clearly not how it works in the abortion debate. And certainly not in America. A 1973 Supreme Court decision (Roe v. Wade) decided whether abortion was legal out of politics. The Supreme Court said in 1973. Abortion is basically legal in all states, because women have a right to privacy (read: self-determination). And it seems to have been successful in the end.
And with that, perhaps the decision about abortion is up to politics, to the states. In Europe (where, of course, we don’t have the US) this is perfectly normal: abortion legislation varies in different European countries.
You will say: You can live with that. But many in America (and the Netherlands) see it differently. Emotions will escalate in the coming months. I am very curious about how this (draft) will affect the midterm elections in November.
Maybe I should head this way again. God, Jesus, Trump – Part 3.
