Steph Deschamps / August 7, 2022
The White House on Saturday vehemently denounced Indiana's near-total ban on abortion, the first U.S. state to pass a new abortion law since the Supreme Court decision.
This is another radical measure taken by elected Republicans to deprive women of their reproductive rights and freedom, said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre. The governor of this conservative state in the north of the country signed into law on Friday evening the law passed by his local assembly a few hours earlier banning abortion except in cases of rape, incest or if the mother's life is in danger. It will take effect on September 15.Anticipating the Supreme Court's decision, several other states had already passed so-called trigger laws in recent months, which went into effect and banned abortion as soon as the justices changed their rulings.
Eventually, abortion will be nearly impossible in half of the country's 50 states, especially in the more religious south and center. In contrast, progressive states are seeking to make abortion rights sacred, and voters in California, Michigan, Nevada and Vermont will vote on protective measures this year. Voters in the conservative state of Kansas surprised voters on Tuesday by voting to maintain the constitutional guarantee of abortion rights. The spokeswoman for the U.S. executive urged all Americans across the country to make their voices heard on this issue.