NATIONAL NEWS

US abortion ruling sparks global debate, polarizes activists

Jun 24, 2022, 8:26 PM | Updated: Jun 25, 2022, 8:53 pm

Authorities stand guard by a fence outside the Supreme Court following Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in Washington, Friday, June 24, 2022. The Supreme Court has ended constitutional protections for abortion that had been in place nearly 50 years, a decision by its conservative majority to overturn the court's landmark abortion cases.(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The end of constitutional protections for abortions in the United States on Friday emboldened abortion opponents around the world, while advocates for abortion rights worried it could threaten recent moves toward legalization in their countries.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision “shows that these types of rights are always at risk of being steamrolled,” said Ruth Zurbriggen, an Argentinian activist and member of the Companion Network of Latin America and the Caribbean, a group favoring abortion rights.

But in El Salvador, anti-abortion campaigner Sara Larín expressed hope the ruling will bolster campaigns against the procedure around the globe.

“I trust that with this ruling it will be possible to abolish abortion in the United States and throughout the world,” said Larín, president of Fundación Vida SV.

In Kenya, Phonsina Archane watched news of Friday’s ruling and said she froze for a while in a state of panic.

“This is being done in America, which should be an example when it comes to the women’s rights movement,” said Archane, an activist for abortion rights. “If this is happening in America, what about me here in Africa? It’s a very, very sad day.”

She worried the ruling will embolden abortion opponents across Africa who have charged into reproductive health clinics or threatened attacks. “There is no safe place on the continent,” she said.

Abortion in sub-Saharan Africa is already more unsafe than in any other region of the world, and the overwhelming majority of women of child-bearing age live in countries where abortion laws are highly or moderately restricted, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based research organization that supports abortion rights.

Archane said civil society groups in Africa will have to come together to work out strategies on how to keep themselves and women safe. Just months ago, many saw hope when the World Health Organization released guidelines on quality abortion care, she said. “We had a step ahead, and now we have to go five steps back again.”

The decision, which leaves it up to lawmakers in individual U.S. state to decide whether to allow or ban abortions, lit up social media across Argentina, where a law that legalized elective abortion up to the 14th week of gestation took effect in January 2021 after years of debate.
Anti-abortion activists cheered the ruling, with legislator Amalia Granata tweeting: “There is justice again in the world. We are going to achieve this in Argentina too!!”

In more conservative countries like El Salvador, where abortions are illegal no matter the circumstance and where some 180 women with obstetric emergencies have been criminally prosecuted in the last two decades, Larín warned that the ruling could inspire yet more efforts to loosen abortion restrictions outside the U.S.

“Campaigns promoting abortion may intensify in our countries because funding and abortion clinics in the United States are going to close as they have been doing in recent years,” she said.

At the Vatican, the head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, joined U.S. bishops in saying it is a time for reflection, healing wounds and civil dialogue.

“The fact that a large country with a long democratic tradition has changed its position on this issue also challenges the whole world.” the academy said.

In Mexico, lawyer and activist Verónica Cruz said the ruling could give a boost to anti-abortion groups, but added it likely won’t have any impact in Mexico where 10 of the country’s 32 states have legalized abortion up to 12 weeks gestation in recent years.

She noted the ruling could lead to an increase in calls for help from U.S. women seeking to have abortions in Mexico or to buy pills to interrupt pregnancies at Mexican pharmacies.

So far this year, local activists have accompanied some 1,500 U.S. women who traveled to Mexico for those purposes, Cruz said.

Ricardo Cano, with the anti-abortion group National Front for Life, also doubts the ruling would have any impact in Mexico or elsewhere in Latin America, given the advance of leftist ideologies in the region.

Colombia, which became in February the latest Latin American country to expand access to abortion, also will not be affected by the ruling, said Catalina Martínez Coral, director for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Center for Reproductive Rights.

Ahead of U.S. President Joe Biden’s trip overseas, the heads of at least two Group of Seven members called the decision “horrific.”

“No government, politician or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, adding that he “can’t imagine the fear and anger” women in the U.S. must be experiencing in the wake of the ruling.

The French Foreign Ministry urged U.S. federal authorities “to do everything possible” to ensure American women have continued access to abortions, calling it a “health and survival issue.” France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, added in a tweet that “abortion is a fundamental right of all women.”

New Zealand’s prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, said: “Watching the removal of a woman’s fundamental right to make decisions over their own body is incredibly upsetting. Here in New Zealand we recently legislated to decriminalise abortion and treat it as a health rather than criminal issue.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organiztion, said on Twitter that he was “concerned and disappointed” by the ruling. saying it reduces both “women’s rights and access to health care.”

The U.N. agency dealing with sexual and reproductive health said that whether or not abortion is legal “it happens all too often” and global data shows that restricting access makes abortion more deadly.

The United Nations Population Fund issued a statement following the Supreme Court’s decision noting that its 2022 report said that nearly half of all pregnancies worldwide are unintended and over 60% of those pregnancies may end in abortion.

“A staggering 45% of all abortions around the world are unsafe, making this a leading cause of maternal death,” the agency said.

It said almost all unsafe abortions occur in developing countries, and it fears that “more unsafe abortions will occur around the world if access to abortion becomes more restricted.”

In the only part of Latin America directly affected by the ruling, Puerto Rico, the island’s Senate approved a bill Tuesday that would prohibit abortions after 22 weeks or when a doctor determines a fetus is viable, with the sole exception being if a woman’s life is in danger. The bill is now before the island’s House of Representatives.

Dr. Migna Rivera García, president of Puerto Rico’s Association of Psychologists, said the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling has prompted abortion rights activists to reformulate their strategy.

“It causes a lot of uncertainty given the environment right now in Puerto Rico,” she said. “This bill harms poor women and black women the most. … They don’t have access to services like other social groups.”
___

Coto reported from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Associated Press writers Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Marcos Alemán in San Salvador, El Salvador; Edith Lederer at the United Nations; Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City; Frances D’Emilio in Rome; Astrid Suárez in Bogotá, Colombia, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report

KSL 5 TV Live

National News

The vial holding the nearly 4,000-year-old cosmetic was made from a greenish chlorite, with carved ...

Katie Hunt, CNN

4,000-year-old vial contains ancient red lipstick, archaeologists say

A small stone vial discovered in southeastern Iran contained a red cosmetic that was likely used as a lip coloring nearly 4,000 years ago, archaeologists say.

6 hours ago

FILE - Isabella DeLuca, of Long Island, N.Y., appears outside the Supreme Court, Oct. 26, 2020, on ...

Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press

Social media influencer is charged with joining the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol

A conservative social media influencer has been charged with storming the U.S. Capitol and passing a stolen table out of a broken window, allowing other rioters to use it as a weapon against police, according to court records unsealed on Monday.

6 hours ago

The foundation that selected SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, conservative media mogul Rupert Murdoch and othe...

Tierney Sneed, CNN

Foundation cancels RBG award ceremony that would have honored Musk, Murdoch after family’s outcry

After Ruth Bader Ginsburg's son called the award a "desecration" of her memory by giving it to Must and Murdoch, the foundation that selected the two cancels the award ceremony.

6 hours ago

FILE - Former White House trade adviser Peter Navarro speaks to the media as he departs federal cou...

Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press

Supreme Court denies ex-Trump aide Peter Navarro’s bid to stave off prison sentence

The Supreme Court has refused to halt a prison sentence for former Trump White House official Peter Navarro as he appeals his contempt of Congress conviction.

6 hours ago

Wind turbines tower above a home in Weatherford, Oklahoma, in April 2022. As wind energy expands in...

Ella Nilsen, CNN

How much are wind turbines dragging down home values? A new study has surprising answers

As wind energy expands in the United States, concerns have grown about the potential for tall turbines to be a drag on property values.

7 hours ago

Police found information at the home of Muhammad Syed showing he may have known his victims. (Chanc...

Eric Levenson and Sarah Dewberry, CNN

Suspect accused of killing Muslim men in Albuquerque found guilty of murder

A man who was accused of killing three Muslim men in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2022, sparking widespread fear in the Islamic community, was found guilty of murder on Monday.

8 hours ago

Sponsored Articles

Modern chandelier hanging from a white slanted ceiling with windows in the backgruond...

Lighting Design

Light Up Your Home With These Top Lighting Trends for 2024

Check out the latest lighting design trends for 2024 and tips on how you can incorporate them into your home.

Technician woman fixing hardware of desktop computer. Close up....

PC Laptops

Tips for Hassle-Free Computer Repairs

Experiencing a glitch in your computer can be frustrating, but with these tips you can have your computer repaired without the stress.

Close up of finger on keyboard button with number 11 logo...

PC Laptops

7 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your Laptop to Windows 11

Explore the benefits of upgrading to Windows 11 for a smoother, more secure, and feature-packed computing experience.

Stylish room interior with beautiful Christmas tree and decorative fireplace...

Lighting Design

Create a Festive Home with Our Easy-to-Follow Holiday Prep Guide

Get ready for festive celebrations! Discover expert tips to prepare your home for the holidays, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for unforgettable moments.

Battery low message on mobile device screen. Internet and technology concept...

PC Laptops

9 Tips to Get More Power Out of Your Laptop Battery

Get more power out of your laptop battery and help it last longer by implementing some of these tips from our guide.

Users display warnings about the use of artificial intelligence (AI), access to malicious software ...

Les Olson

How to Stay Safe from Cybersecurity Threats

Read our tips for reading for how to respond to rising cybersecurity threats in 2023 and beyond to keep yourself and your company safe.

US abortion ruling sparks global debate, polarizes activists