The governor of the US state of Arkansas has signed a restrictive abortion law that does not allow abortion even in cases of rape and incest. The arch-conservative Republican Asa Hutchinson announced on Tuesday that an abortion should only be possible in acute danger to the mother’s life. He signed the law because of his “sincere and long-cherished pro-life beliefs,” he said.
State law doesn’t go into effect until summer; the civil rights organization ACLU has already announced that it will take legal action against it.
Abortion law has been one of the most contentious domestic issues in the United States for decades. In a historic 1973 decision, the Supreme Court recognized the fundamental right of women to an abortion. In recent years, however, conservative states have passed laws restricting this right.
Anti-abortion opponents are striving for a new fundamental decision by the Supreme Court. Hutchinson also said this on Tuesday: His intention was “to create the conditions for the Supreme Court to overturn current case law”.[Jeden Donnerstag die wichtigsten Entwicklungen aus Amerika direkt ins Postfach – mit dem Newsletter “Washington Weekly” unserer USA-Korrespondentin Juliane Schäuble. Hier geht es zur kostenlosen Anmeldung.]
With the tenure of Donald Trump, who as US President brought three Conservative judges to the Supreme Court until he was replaced by Democrat Joe Biden in January, the body has moved significantly to the right.
In its first abortion decision since the appointment of Conservative Judge Amy Coney Barrett, the Supreme Court made access to abortion pills difficult in January. The court re-enacted a regulation according to which, despite the corona pandemic, women must personally visit a clinic or doctor’s practice to get abortion pills with the active ingredient mifepristone. (AFP)
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