United States: A judge in Louisiana banned abortion, a small victory for family planning

Published on 06/28/2022 at 08:10Reading Time: 3 Minutes

YouA Louisiana judge on Monday temporarily suspended laws preventing women from having abortions in that state, adding to the confusion in the United States since the Supreme Court overturned on the subject.

The High Court on Friday “Roe v. Wade” guaranteed American women the right to terminate their pregnancies for nearly 50 years, giving states the freedom to ban abortions. Many immediately rushed to declare abortion illegal in their area, relying exclusively on hitherto defunct laws. Others intend to reduce the delay for abortion.

But the legal counter-offensive was quick, with complaints filed in state courts rather than federal justice. In Louisiana, a clinic and medical students attacked three laws prohibiting abortion, arguing that they are too “vague” because they do not clearly specify exceptions or related penalties.

Judge Robin Giaruso on Monday blocked those laws until a July 8 hearing. “Abortion may resume in Louisiana,” the Center for Reproductive Rights, which represented the plaintiffs, immediately tweeted. “There is a clinic open every day that can make a difference in someone’s life,” Clinic President Nancy Northup said in a statement.

The victory may only be short-lived, as Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has promised “to do everything in[his]power to ensure that laws protecting unborn children are in effect.”

fight across the country

Comparable battles are being played across the country. In Utah, a court has temporarily suspended a ban on abortion, following a complaint filed by the powerful family planning union Planned Parenthood. This “represents a victory, but it is only the first step in what will undoubtedly be a long and arduous battle”, remarked the association, which initiated these proceedings on the grounds that the abortion ban was, according to them, a violation of the Constitution. does the state.

The same argument has been advanced in Florida by opponents of a law reducing the legal time limit for abortion to 15 weeks, which should go into effect Friday. Other procedures take place in Ohio, Kentucky, Idaho, Texas, or even Mississippi.

This guerrilla should delay the deadline, but according to the Guttmacher Institute, half of the states, especially conservative and religious in the south and center, should more or less ban abortion on their soil in the long term.