The US Supreme Court has overturned the historic Roe v. Wade decision, stating that there is no longer a federal constitutional right to an abortion.
As reported by CNN, justices voted 5-4 in favor of the decision, which was announced on Friday (June 24) and will have huge consequences on women's reproductive health across the country.
In the original 1973 Roe decision, the court ruled that the Constitution protected a woman's right to an abortion before the time at which a fetus would be viable outside the womb (usually around 24 weeks).
Now that the ruling has been overturned, each state will be able to set its own abortion rights independently unless Congress intervenes.
Justice Samuel Alito wrote in his majority opinion:
"Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division."
More than 25 US states have or are planning to pass laws that ban abortion, with others introducing other strict measures.
In thirteen states, so-called 'trigger' laws are already in place which will restrict access to abortions as soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned. In some of these states - which include Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming - anti-abortion laws will go into effect immediately. In others, there is a 30-day delay period.
In the dissent, Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan wrote:
"With sorrow – for this Court, but more, for the many millions of American women who have today lost a fundamental constitutional protection – we dissent. It is truly sad."
The historic ruling was made possible by President Donald Trump's appointment of three conservative Supreme Court justices during his time in office. As it stands, the court's conservative majority is not so strong that it can afford to lose the support of Chief Justice John Roberts - usually considered a more moderate conservative.
