Trump advances steadily in his anti-abortion offensive | Society

In the State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Donald Trump He called on Congress to prohibit late abortions of children "who may feel pain in a woman's womb." In the midst of deafening applause from Republican congressmen and 47 million viewers, the president falsely stated: "New York lawmakers were happy to pass a law that allows the baby to be removed from the womb just before birth." What the new regulations allow is the possibility of having an abortion until the 24th week of gestation or later if the fetus is unfeasible or the mother's life is in danger. More than 90% of abortions are performed in the first trimester, but Trump took advantage of the platform to speak to his bases. A strategy that accompany several conservative states that try to limit access to termination of pregnancy.

Among the public present at the Congress on Tuesday night, a woman listened with stupor to the statements of the tycoon who accumulates a score of accusations of harassment: Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is president of Planned Parenthood, an organization that provides reproductive health services and that has been reviled by the Republican Party in its campaign against abortion. "The president lied to all the citizens. His statements are not based on medical aspects, but political, "explains the doctor. Wen was invited to the Capitol by the leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, in a clear counteroffensive to the Administration that threatens to repeal the law that allows abortion since 1973.

Since his arrival at the White House, Trump has worked to reduce options for abortion. Only four days after taking office, he recovered a law that prohibits NGOs and healthcare providers abroad from using US government funds for abortion counseling. In May of last year, it overturned a law that required employers to include contraceptives in the health plan offered to its employees and announced a reform to Title X, a federally funded family planning program, open to low-income patients . If it goes ahead, doctors and hospitals will not be able to refer patients to abortion centers. "Health care providers can not hide information about the options you have in relation to your pregnancy. This norm means that they will be able to do it ", explain from Planned Parenthood.

"For decades, taxpayers have been wrongly forced to subsidize the abortion industry," Trump said when announcing the new regulations. "I committed myself to defend life, and as president, that's what I've done," he concluded. The Title X reform is being evaluated by a federal Court of Appeals that should give its verdict next month. "It is a threat to women's right to health. I, as a doctor, must educate and inform my patient about his health. Then I have to trust in his decision, "adds Dr. Wen.

Added to the offensive, several States of conservative tradition have taken the opportunity to modify their laws in the same restrictive direction. Iowa passed the most restrictive abortion law in the United States last year: no woman can abort as soon as the heartbeat is detected in the fetus. Exceptions will only be made if there is fetal malformation, risk of death for the mother and rape or incest. The parliaments of Kansas and Oklahoma have pushed for twin laws, as have Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas and West Virginia. Not all have gone ahead. A judge rejected the Mississippi law in November that banned most abortions after 15 weeks because it considered violating women's constitutional rights. While the Republican stronghold in the center of the country struggles to set limits, states such as Massachusetts, Delaware and Washington, as well as New York, try to shield themselves with more permissive laws.

Despite the antecedents, the conservative hegemony in the deep south of the country took a surprise this week. The Supreme Court (of a conservative majority) ruled in favor of temporarily suspending a Louisiana law that prevented doctors from performing abortions in hospitals more than 42 kilometers away. The anti-abortionists sought to hinder the access of women interested in interrupting their pregnancy in a state that since the eighties has so far reduced their abortion centers from 11 to three. The first decision on reproductive matters taken by the High Court gave only a respite to the Liberals. The magistrates have asked for more time to review the details of the rule before giving a final verdict. There are about fifteen cases related to abortion about to reach the Supreme Court.