By The New York TimesThe U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on abortion quickly led to bans in at least eight states, a shift toward criminalization that runs counter to recent easings in countries that had longstanding bans.
Activists clashing outside the U.S. Supreme Court on June 27, days after it eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. The ruling contrasted with recent decisions by high courts in Mexico and Colombia, which have moved to decriminalize abortion. 출처: Shuran Huang/ 뉴욕타임스.
The Supreme Court’s elimination of the constitutional right to abortion, after nearly a half-century, has made the United States one of the few countries actively strengthening abortion restrictions.
Abortion is now banned in at least eight states, a shift toward criminalization that runs counter to the longstanding policies of some close allies, like Canada, and to recent easings in several nations that had long imposed bans, like Ireland, Mexico and South Korea.
But no nations share the same history regarding abortion, nor does any part of the world have uniform laws: Women seeking abortions everywhere must navigate distinct rules, in a variety of health care systems, if access is available at all. The following examples, while not comprehensive, illustrate the diversity of those laws — and how they’re changing.
Canada
No laws restrict abortion in Canada, where it is covered by provincial and territorial public health care systems as an essential medical procedure within 20 weeks of conception and, under some circumstances, after that point, such as when a pregnancy threatens the mother’s life. Access and exceptions vary by province, and sometimes by hospital.
Until 1988, criminal laws allowed abortions only if approved by committees of physicians. That year, the Supreme Court struck down the laws in a landmark case. Most legal scholars agree that if the issue were to reach the court again, it would make the right to abortion explicit.
