U.S. Supreme Court strikes down abortion rights

June 24, 2022 - The U.S. Supreme Court has struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade ruling, handing a momentous victory to Republicans and religious conservatives who want to limit or ban abortion.

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The judgement will transform abortion rights in America, with individual states now able to ban the procedure. Half of US states are expected to introduce new restrictions or bans.

Thirteen have already passed so-called trigger laws that will automatically outlaw abortion following the Supreme Court's ruling. A number of others are likely to pass new restrictions quickly.

The Supreme Court had been considering a case, Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization, that challenged Mississippi's ban on abortion after 15 weeks.

The court, in a 6-3 ruling powered by its conservative majority, upheld a Republican-backed Mississippi law, effectively ending the constitutional right to an abortion.