Roe v. Wade

• Most people are still unaware that abortion at any stage of pregnancy is illegal in England and Wales, unless authorised by two doctors.
• As does any woman who uses legally obtained medication in any way other than as directed, for example, delaying taking the medication.
• Reading the sentencing hearing from this and other cases, it appears the law is being used to protect foetuses.
• This suggests the application of the law is focused on protecting foetuses that could survive if born alive – not on preventing abortion.

Extreme vulnerability for women

• The limited details of the woman’s experience that are outlined in the sentencing remark indicate that she, like every other woman whose case I have examined, acted from a place of extreme vulnerability and profound crisis.
• During the sentencing, the judge noted the woman’s “deep emotional attachment” to her unborn child, a common experience for women in similar situations.
• Women who self-abort pregnancies late in gestation do not necessarily want the unborn baby to die.

The role of the criminal law

• Some may argue that a late-term foetus is no different to a newborn baby, and that both need criminal legal protection.
• But such application of the criminal law carries significant risks for women, as well as for babies and foetuses.
• Whether the criminal law should protect foetal life is a complex question, but it is a question for parliament alone.
• It is time parliament involves itself in this area of criminal law, conducting a thorough and compassionate review.

• Since the Dobbs decision, women and men alike have exercised the political power Alito referenced at the ballot box and, in the states that allow it, through legislation citizens initiate themselves.
• The Conversation has covered the fight over abortion rights in the U.S. for years.
• Here are four essential reads to help you understand some of the state-level decisions legislators and citizens have made since the Dobbs ruling.

1. Kansans safeguard constitutional access to abortion

• On Aug. 2, 2022, in the first state referendum on abortion since the Dobbs ruling, voters in Kansas rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to deny the right to abortion in that state.
• The 59% to 41% vote was decisive.
• “Since the Dobbs decision was announced, Americans also increasingly appear to prefer fewer restrictions on abortion, even as many states are moving to enact more restrictions,” they wrote.
• Support for abortion in all nine scenarios increased following the Dobbs ruling.”

  Read more:
  Kansas vote for abortion rights highlights disconnect between majority opinion on abortion laws and restrictive state laws being passed after Supreme Court decision

2. Kansas was no fluke

• In Kentucky as in Kansas, for example, voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would have stripped residents of the right to seek an abortion.
• And in California, Michigan and Vermont, voters approved constitutional amendments to protect the right to an abortion.
• Linda C. McClain, a law professor, and Nicole Huberfeld, a professor of law and health law, of Boston University, have studied the issue.
• “Commentary and exit polling suggest that abortion was a motivating issue among Pennsylvania voters – especially younger voters.” Shapiro won the contest.

3. Some abortion fights are through constitutional amendments

• John Dinan, a scholar of state constitutions at Wake Forest University, wrote that even before the Dobbs ruling, state constitutional amendments had shaped abortion policy as much as state court rulings had.
• In November 2022, voters in Vermont, California and Michigan approved amendments that explicitly protect reproductive rights.”

  Read more:
  State battles over abortion are leading to state constitutional amendments – an option in all states and available directly to citizens in 18 states

4. A patchwork legal landscape

• Inspired by the recent Supreme Court's decision to restrict abortion access, NOAH® presents "BABYMAKER" - a massive and relevant anthem that demands attention.
• In a time where the courts are encroaching upon the reproductive rights of women, NOAH® fearlessly voices the concerns of millions.
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• Stay tuned for the release this June 2023 and be a part of the movement that fights for reproductive freedom and equality.

• BOSTON, May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Recorded Future News is pleased to announce that its flagship podcast, Click Here , has been awarded a 2023 Regional Edward R. Murrow Award by the Radio Television Digital News Association ( RTDNA ) for outstanding achievement in broadcast and digital journalism.
• "We wanted to look at the Supreme Court decision through a different lens for our listeners," said Dina Temple-Raston, the host and executive producer of Click Here.
• Recorded Future News' Click Here podcast won an award for the following story:
  As a regional award winner, Click Here and Recorded Future News will advance to the national Edward R. Murrow Awards competition.
• Click Here is also the recipient of two National Headliner Awards and was a 2023 Webby Honoree for best tech podcast.