In a significant verdict, the US Supreme Court has struck down a Texas law that made it more difficult for women to have abortions. The top court reasoned that the law put an undue burden on women.
After the 1973 Roe vs Wade gave women the right to abortion, various state laws have curtailed the period up to which women can have abortions. They have done this by linking the time period to developments in medical facilities that make it possible for a fetus to survive outside the womb at an earlier stage.
According to a Reuters report, more than a dozen US states have banned abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Mississippi has a law that bans abortion after 18 weeks. In 2016, the US Supreme Court struck down Arkansas’ proposal to ban abortion after just 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Women rights activists have welcomed the Supreme Court decision.