The repeal of the abortion law in the US: how will women move forward now?

For 49 years, the right to abortion was enshrined in American law by the ruling in the case of Roe vs. Wade, but not anymore. On June 24, the Supreme Court made a decision that allows states to once again make abortion illegal in the first two trimesters of pregnancy. And that is happening. In more than half of the United States.

A remarkable development is that women in America are massively deleting their menstruation apps. For example, there is Flo, which clearly calculates your period and indicates when you are fertile or not. They are deleting the app out of fear that the data will be used as evidence in, for example, a lawsuit, because if you fill everything in, the app can register that you are pregnant, track your location, and pass that on. You would think that accessing this data is impossible with the right to privacy and everything, but judges can indeed request and use this data. Indeed: how bizarre.

The most dangerous aspect of the disappearance of the right to abortion is not even that abortions can no longer be performed. No, because that will undoubtedly still happen. The major concern is that there will be more and more unsafe and life-threatening abortions. Even Meghan Markle, who can thankfully speak out about this now that she is no longer a duchess, is worried. In a conversation attended by Vogue, she is very clear: ‘What does it make clear about women? That our bodily safety does not matter and as a result, that we do not matter. That is not true. Women do matter.’ Meghan emphasizes that men need to speak up now, because this decision not only impacts women but has consequences for society as a whole.

Large companies are currently non-stop releasing statements that they will pay for travel, accommodation, and abortion costs for employees in other states or abroad. Think of: Tesla, Starbucks, PayPal, Airbnb, Condé Nast, Disney, Microsoft, Levi Strauss & Co, and the list goes on. This is not without consequences, as states like Texas are now threatening a boycott against those companies. This is also happening in reverse, where companies are threatening to leave. It is a tug-of-war, in short.

Abortion clinics are closing all the time and women are scared now that they no longer have autonomy over their bodies. For example, in Alabama, you are already an accomplice if you tell a woman where she can have an abortion. Women sometimes have to travel hundreds of kilometers, while that is simply not possible. An abortion costs around a thousand euros, gas prices are skyrocketing, and then you also have to ensure you have a roof over your head.

Five of the nine judges voted to abolish the abortion law. Five (!) people who, with one vote, take away the rights of millions of women. More than half of the American population is in favor of the right to abortion, but five of those delighted judges are not. How is this even possible?