The day that many believed would never come finally has. The landmark decision in the Roe versus Wade Supreme Court case has been formally overturned and struck down.
What does this mean? Well, it doesn’t mean that all abortions are now illegal, rather it means that the decision on whether or not abortion is to be legal will be left up to individual states. Each state in the union is allowed to devise its own legislation regarding abortion and put it into law without federal meddling.
Before, the Supreme Court pretended that abortion was a constitutionally protected right despite the word “abortion” being nowhere to be found in the constitution. There is no establishment if abortion rights in the document whatsoever.
Because of this, the previously standing opinion was easily shredded by Justice Alito.
Which states will act first? Well, 13 states including Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, Utah, and Wyoming have trigger laws. This means that as soon as a majority opinion from the Supreme Court was issued overturning Roe Abortion would become illegal in those states.
Currently, it would appear that this is how the law stands in those areas, but state attorneys general are still verifying their support for the bans to ere on the safe side.
Now, any state can ban abortion outright and completely in any circumstance with no exception if they wish to do so, though almost all states have carved out some exceptions. Texas for example makes exceptions for mothers who face danger to their lives as a result of pregnancy.
The overturning of Roe Versus Wade is a monumental moment in American history and a political and cultural turning point.