Abortion rights in 'dire, immediate danger' as Anthony Kennedy retires

Abortion rights in 'dire, immediate danger' as Anthony Kennedy retires

Potential nominees shortlisted by Trump are believed to be jurists who would overturn the landmark decision Roe v Wade



The US supreme court legalized abortion in 1973. Now, 45 years later, activists say the departure of the court’s moderate, Justice Anthony Kennedy, represents the most direct threat to reproductive freedom since abortion was legalized. Pro-choice advocates said Kennedy’s retirement represents a “dire, immediate danger” to women’s reproductive freedom. Though the supreme court is not expected to rule on abortion matters in the near future, all of the potential nominees shortlisted by the Trump administration are believed to be jurists who would overturn the landmark decision, Roe v Wade, given the opportunity.

“Today, Justice Kennedy announced his retirement, and because President Trump will nominate the next supreme court justice, a woman’s constitutional right to access legal abortion is in dire, immediate danger – along with the fundamental rights of all Americans,” said Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America. “Our country faces a moment of deep crisis – a crisis of rights, of values and of leadership,” she said. “The deeply-divided decisions from the supreme court this week are a clear warning that our most cherished values are in jeopardy, and now hang in the balance. Women will not go back to the days when abortion was illegal in this country.”

Anti-abortion activists, meanwhile, described Kennedy’s retirement as a turning point in the movement. “Justice Kennedy’s retirement from the supreme court makes a pivotal moment for the fight to ensure every unborn child is welcomed and protected under the law,” said Susan B Anthony List president Marjorie Dannenfelser. For decades, American anti-abortion activists have chipped away at reproductive freedoms, as legislatures piled on restrictions. That strategy was developed, in part, to avoid court decisions that could strengthen Roe’s precedent. Kennedy’s retirement is likely to further embolden anti-abortion activists, who have already started to pass some of the world’s most restrictive anti-abortion laws.

For example, in Iowa, activists successfully passed a ban on abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected, roughly six weeks into a pregnancy. That is before most women know they are pregnant. At the time, activists intended for the law to end up in court, which it has, where it could be appealed to higher and higher courts. Eventually, they hoped, it would land in the supreme court. Trump has also made dozens of conservative nominations to lower courts, making it more likely for Roe to be challenged in the supreme court. Kennedy’s departure is Trump’s second opportunity to nominate a justice to a lifetime supreme court seat. There are nine justices, four conservative and four liberal. Kennedy, 82, considered a moderate conservative, was an unpredictable swing vote.

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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/27/abortion-rights-immediate-danger-anthony-kennedy-retires