US Abortion Case Raises Questions about Other Countries

US Abortion¹ Case Raises Questions about Other Countries

An abortion case now being considered by the U.S. Supreme² Court raises questions about how it could influence other countries.

On Monday an early version, or draft, of a Supreme Court opinion was released without permission. The opinion suggested that the high court could overturn the legal case from 1973 that legalized abortion across the country.

It is not clear what the effects of the decision could be outside the U.S. But courts in many parts of the world have been legalizing abortion.

For example, in February, Colombia's Constitutional Court legalized the operation until the 24th week of pregnancy³.

Women's activists⁴ around the world say they are very concerned with the U.S. Supreme Court's draft ruling. They say it shows how their gains can be taken back.

"It is an awful precedent⁵ for the coming years for the region and the world," said Colombian Catalina Martínez Coral. She is with the Center for Reproductive Rights based in New York City. Her group was among the parties that brought the abortion case to Colombia's high court.

The ruling in February permitted women to have abortions⁶ within the 24-week period. Before the case, Colombian women could only legally get an abortion in certain cases. These included if a fetus⁷ presented malformations or if a pregnancy resulted from rape⁸. Abortion is still permitted after that period in special cases.

The decision fell short of advocates' hopes for a complete decriminalization. But Martínez Coral said it still left Colombia with the "most progressive legal framework in Latin America."

Last year, Mexico's high court ruled that it was unconstitutional to punish abortion. The ruling bars charging a woman with a crime for ending a pregnancy.

In Argentina, lawmakers in late 2020 passed a bill legalizing abortion until the 14th week. Abortions are legal after that for certain cases. Abortion is also widely available in Cuba and Uruguay.

But expansion of abortion has not extended to all of Latin America. In Brazil, abortion is only permissible⁹ in cases of rape, risk to the woman's life and proven cases of a kind of birth defect.

Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador have total bans with no exceptions.

Many African nations also maintain complete bans. But in October 2021, Benin legalized abortion in most cases for up to 12 weeks. Before it was legalized, 200 women were dying each year of complications from secret abortions.

Most European countries have legalized abortion. Ireland legalized abortion in 2018. So did the small country of San Marino. Abortion remains¹⁰ illegal in Andorra, Malta and Vatican City. Poland last year tightened¹¹ its abortion laws.

Laws are different across the Muslim world.

Abortion has been legal up to 12 weeks in Tunisia for many years. But in Iran it has been banned since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Last year, one of Islam's top religious leaders in Cairo said abortion is not the answer even in cases where a child is likely to be seriously ill or disabled.

Agnes Callamard is the secretary-general of the human rights group Amnesty International. She said in a statement: "there are grim signs that the United States is out of step with the progress that the rest of the world is making in protecting sexual and reproductive rights."

The U.S. Supreme Court's final decision is expected to come in late June or July.

Words in This Story

precedent — n. something done or said that can be used as an example or rule to be followed in the future

malformation — n. a condition in which part of the body does not have the normal or expected shape

advocate — n. a person who works for a cause or group

framework –n. a set of ideas or facts that provide support for something

grim — adj. causing feelings of sadness or worry

1 abortion   

n.流产，堕胎

参考例句：

• She had an abortion at the women's health clinic.她在妇女保健医院做了流产手术。
• A number of considerations have led her to have a wilful abortion.多种考虑使她执意堕胎。

2 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

3 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

4 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

6 abortions   

n.小产( abortion的名词复数 )；小产胎儿；（计划）等中止或夭折；败育

参考例句：

• The Venerable Master: By not having abortions, by not killing living beings. 上人：不堕胎、不杀生。 来自互联网
• Conclusion Chromosome abnormality is one of the causes of spontaneous abortions. 结论：染色体异常是导致反复自然流产的原因之一。 来自互联网

7 fetus   

n.胎，胎儿

参考例句：

• In the fetus,blood cells are formed in different sites at different ages.胎儿的血细胞在不同时期生成在不同的部位。
• No one knows why a fetus is not automatically rejected by the mother's immune system. 没有人知道为什么母亲的免疫系统不会自动排斥胎儿。

8 rape   

n.抢夺，掠夺，强奸；vt.掠夺，抢夺，强奸

参考例句：

• The rape of the countryside had a profound ravage on them.对乡村的掠夺给他们造成严重创伤。
• He was brought to court and charged with rape.他被带到法庭并被指控犯有强奸罪。

9 permissible   

adj.可允许的，许可的

参考例句：

• Is smoking permissible in the theatre?在剧院里允许吸烟吗？
• Delay is not permissible,even for a single day.不得延误，即使一日亦不可。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 tightened   

收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧

参考例句：

• The rope holding the boat suddenly tightened and broke. 系船的绳子突然绷断了。
• His index finger tightened on the trigger but then relaxed again. 他的食指扣住扳机，然后又松开了。