Abortion in the United States: a Louisiana judge temporarily blocks the ban on abortions
According to the Guttmacher Institute, half of the states, especially in the conservative and religious south and centre, should in the more or less long term ban abortions on their soil.
© AP/Joel Martinez
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A Louisiana judge on Monday (June 27) temporarily suspended laws prohibiting women in that state from having abortions, adding to the confusion in the United States since the reversal of the Supreme Court on the subject.
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The high court on Friday overturned
the Roe v. Wade decision
, which for nearly fifty years had guaranteed the right of American women to terminate their pregnancies, giving states the freedom to
ban abortions
.
Several states immediately rushed to declare abortions illegal on their territory, relying in particular on laws that have remained dormant so far.
Others intend to reduce the delays for abortion.
But the legal counter-offensive was quick, with complaints filed in state courts rather than federal justice.
In Louisiana, a clinic and medical students attacked the three laws prohibiting abortions, arguing that they are too "
vague
" since they do not clearly specify the exceptions or the associated penalties.
Judge Robin Giarrusso on Monday blocked those laws until a July 8 hearing.
“
Abortions can resume in Louisiana
,” the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, immediately tweeted.
"
Every day a clinic is open can make a difference in someone's life
," clinic president Nancy Northup said in a statement.
This victory may only be short-lived, as Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has promised "
to do everything in his power to ensure that the laws protecting unborn children take effect
".
►
Listen: Canadian abortion clinics prepare to welcome Americans
A fight that promises to be “long and difficult”
Similar battles are being played out across the country.
In Utah, a court has also temporarily suspended the ban on abortion, following a complaint filed by the powerful family planning association Planned Parenthood.
This represents "
a victory, but it is only the first step in what will undoubtedly be a long and difficult fight
", commented the association, which had initiated these proceedings on the grounds that the ban on abortions violates, according to her, the State Constitution.
The same argument is advanced in Florida by the detractors of a law reducing to fifteen weeks the legal deadline for an abortion, which must come into effect on Friday.
Other procedures take place in Ohio, Kentucky, Idaho, Texas or even Mississippi.
This guerrilla should delay the deadline, but, according to the Guttmacher Institute, half of the states, especially in the south and the center conservative and religious, should in the more or less long term ban abortions on their soil.
►
Also to listen: Abortion in the United States: white evangelists applaud the decision of the Supreme Court
(with
AFP
)
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