Why Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organisation goes further than merely overturning Roe v Wade

The US Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organisation (this organisation is based in the US state of Mississippi, of which Jackson is the state capital), which critically has the effect of overturning Roe v Wade [1973] (which guaranteed a constitutional right for women to have abortions) and Planned Parenthood v Casey, meaning that many 

Although it is a decision concerning the rights of unborn children and the rights of women, it goes wider than that. Here is why:

1. It is reflective of a polarised and divided society that could split in the near future. The majority of US states with "trigger laws" surrounding significant abortion restrictions are south of Washington DC; the majority of US states that still retain the death penalty are also south of Washington DC (and those states with the strictest abortion laws in the USA are amongst those who have carried out the most executions since Gregg v Georgia [1976], making a mockery of any pro-life claims of theirs). Furthermore, all of the US states which have trigger laws that will now come into effect are strongly Republican in terms of their legislature and the Senate, with virtually no hope of a change in that status, whereas the US states with the most liberal laws on abortion are strongly Democrat (or otherwise progressive, in Vermont's case) and are not likely to elect Republican legislatures anytime soon. The events of the last few years show that the USA could in the near future split along the Mason Dixon line, even if only ipso facto, and so could other societies for that matter.

2. It will trigger reverberating effects elsewhere in the world. Already in the European Union, Hungary and Poland (strongly Catholic and which were both once behind the Iron Curtain) have been taking a hardline stance on social matters, and not just regarding abortion restrictions either; other European nations could follow suit. For example, Croatia, where abortion is legal yet where most of the population is Catholic, has seen significant pro-life protests recently and many doctors there are refusing to carry out abortions. Also, more liberal nations will face increasing pressure to further liberalise their abortion laws to the point where abortion is legal at any stage of pregnancy and for any reason (as is the case in Canada, for instance).

3. It sows the seeds for other rights being rolled back in the USA. The decision to overturn Roe v Wade happened first and foremost because of the US Supreme Court's make-up: 6 Republicans and 3 Democrats. (The UK Supreme Court, thankfully, is not divided on partisan lines at all because of the existence of the Judicial Appointments Commission and the strict requirements for political impartiality) Voting rights, legal protections for the indigent etc. will also be significantly under threat in the USA as a result-and as mentioned above, this will likely result in similar effects somewhere across the Atlantic.

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