The American Democrats showed their determination on Sunday to defend the right to abortion, threatened by the Supreme Court, during a vote – mainly symbolic – this week in the Senate.
The Supreme Court has “slapped women”, not respecting their ability to choose “the moment” to start a family, and the “size” of the latter, denounced the speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi on the chain CBS Television.
“This is something so serious, personal, and disrespectful to women.”
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote on a federal law guaranteeing the right to abortion, according to the leader of the Democrats in the upper house, Chuck Schumer.
This vote should above all be symbolic. The majority of Democrats there is too narrow to allow them to adopt such a text – they would need a majority increased by 60 votes out of 100.
The only other option currently available to abortion rights advocates would be to change Senate rules to pass such a law by a simple majority. But Republicans and a handful of elected officials from Joe Biden’s camp oppose this scenario for the moment.
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has, despite everything, promised to fight so that the right to abortion remains guaranteed, promising “not to give up”. “It’s the greatest fight of a generation.”
“We would be half-citizens according to this decision. And if it becomes law, it will change the foundations of America,” she told CNN.
The elected Republican Nancy Mace, opposed to abortion, pleaded for an exception in the event of rape.
Explaining that she herself was raped, Nancy Mace told CBS that given the “physical, emotional trauma”, this decision should be made by the woman concerned, “her doctor” and “God”.
If the Supreme Court were to annul the case law which has founded the right to abortion since 1973, each State would be free to prohibit or authorize abortion. Half of them, mainly in the conservative and religious South and Center, are expected to take this route.
Mississippi (south) will ban it, except in cases of rape or danger to the life of the mother, confirmed Republican Governor Tate Reeves on NBC.
Thinking about the next steps, the latter declared that the “pro-life movement”, as the opponents of abortion call themselves, should now prove that it is “not only anti-abortion”, by helping future mothers and young children.
About 61% of Americans think abortion should be legal, according to a poll released by the Pew Research Institute this week.
But, as with so many other social issues, the gap between Democrats and Republicans is wide, and even more marked than fifteen years ago. Among the former, 8 out of 10 people are for it, almost twice as much as among the latter.