AFP

Protesters were expected to pour onto streets across the United States on Saturday as anger flared over the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down the right to abortion.

Several right-leaning states imposed immediate bans on abortion after the court on Friday shredded five decades of constitutional protections for the procedure, prompting leaders around the world to voice concern.

The conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states could restrict or ban the procedure themselves.

“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” the court said in a 6-3 ruling on one of America’s most bitterly divisive issues. “The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

A somber President Joe Biden called the ruling a “tragic error” stemming from “extreme ideology”.

“The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden said, warning that other rights such as same-sex marriage and contraception could be threatened next.

The Democratic president urged Congress to restore abortion protections as federal law and said Roe would be “on the ballot” in November’s midterm elections.

Criticism of the Supreme Court decision also came from abroad, including from US allies like Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a big step backwards.”

Canada’s leader Justin Trudeau said it was “horrific”, and French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his “solidarity with women whose freedoms are today challenged.”

Acknowledging the international concerns, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted his department would “remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world.”

– ‘You have failed us’ –

Hundreds of people — some weeping for joy and others with grief — gathered outside the fenced-off Supreme Court on Friday as the ruling came down.

“It’s hard to imagine living in a country that does not respect women as human beings and their right to control their bodies,” said Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, 49, a mother of two daughters who was choking back tears.

“You have failed us,” read a sign held up by one protester. “Shame,” said another.

But Gwen Charles, a 21-year-old opponent of abortion, was jubilant.

“This is the day that we have been waiting for,” Charles told AFP. “We get to usher in a new culture of life in the United States.”

Just hours after the ruling, Missouri banned abortion — making no exception for rape or incest — and so did South Dakota, except where the life of the mother is at risk.

Protesters took to the streets in St. Louis to decry the ban, gathering at what had been Missouri’s last abortion clinic.

“It’s absolutely disturbing,” said Lilian Dodenhoff, 32, standing outside the facility. “So I just immediately reached out to people that I knew shouldn’t be alone right now.”

As of Friday evening, at least seven states had already banned abortion — Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

Many more are expected to follow suit or severely restrict the procedure. 

Protesters also marched in New York, Boston and other US cities as anger grew. 

“Abortion is a human right, not just for the rich and white,” protesters in New York chanted on Friday.

Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul met the crowd at Union Square, telling reporters abortion rights were “secure” in New York, and that the state would be a “safe harbor” for those unable to receive the procedure in their own states.

“We took action already, we allocated $35 million to support our abortion providers to be able to help our sisters across this nation find their way here,” she said. “This is their safe harbor.”

There were incidents at some demonstrations on Friday, including one in the Iowa city of Cedar Rapids, where a pickup truck drove through a group of protesters, running over at least one woman’s foot, according to local media reports.

In Arizona, CNN reported that authorities used tear gas to disperse protesters on Friday night after they “repeatedly pounded on the glass doors of the State Senate Building,” according to Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bart Graves.

– ‘Egregiously wrong’ –

In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito said Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong.”

“Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views,” he said. “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.”

The court tossed out the legal argument in Roe v. Wade that women had the right to abortion based on the constitutional right to privacy with regard to their own bodies.

While the ruling represents a victory for the religious right, leaders of the Christian conservative movement said it does not go far enough and they will push for a nationwide ban.

“While it’s a major step in the right direction, overturning Roe does not end abortion,” said the group March for Life.

“God made the decision,” said former Republican president Donald Trump while praising the ruling.

The decision was made possible by Trump’s nomination to the court of three conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

– ‘Will not stop there’ –

The three liberal justices on the court dissented from the ruling.

“One result of today’s decision is certain: the curtailment of women’s rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens,” they said.

Abortion providers could now face criminal penalties and “some States will not stop there,” they warned.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 13 states have adopted so-called “trigger laws” that will ban abortion virtually immediately.

Ten others have pre-1973 laws that could go into force or legislation that would ban abortion after six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.

Women in states with strict anti-abortion laws will either have to continue with their pregnancy, undergo a clandestine abortion, obtain abortion pills, or travel to another state where it remains legal.

The US Supreme Court on Friday struck down the right to abortion in a seismic ruling that shredded five decades of constitutional protections and prompted several right-leaning states to impose immediate bans.

Protests broke out almost immediately in Washington and elsewhere, with dozens of demonstrations under way or planned across the country Friday evening.

The conservative-dominated court overturned the landmark 1973 “Roe v. Wade” decision enshrining a woman’s right to an abortion, saying individual states can restrict or ban the procedure themselves.

“The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion,” the court said in a 6-3 ruling on one of America’s most bitterly divisive issues. “The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

A somber President Joe Biden called the ruling a “tragic error” stemming from “extreme ideology” and said it was a “sad day for the court and the country.”

“The health and life of women in this nation are now at risk,” Biden said, warning that other rights could be threatened next, such as same-sex marriage and contraception.

The Democratic president urged Congress to restore abortion protections as federal law and said Roe will be “on the ballot” in November’s midterm elections.

– ‘You have failed us’ –

Hundreds of people — some weeping for joy and others with grief — gathered outside the fenced-off Supreme Court as the ruling came down.

“It’s hard to imagine living in a country that does not respect women as human beings and their right to control their bodies,” said Jennifer Lockwood-Shabat, 49, a mother of two daughters who was choking back tears.

“You have failed us,” read a sign held up by one protester. “Shame,” said another.

But Gwen Charles, a 21-year-old opponent of abortion, was jubilant.

“This is the day that we have been waiting for,” Charles told AFP. “We get to usher in a new culture of life in the United States.”

Just hours after the ruling, Missouri banned abortion — making no exception for rape or incest — and so did South Dakota, except where the life of the mother is at risk.

“This is a monumental day for the sanctity of life,” Missouri attorney general Eric Schmitt said.

Protesters took to the streets in St. Louis to decry the ban, gathering at what had been Missouri’s last abortion clinic.

“It’s absolutely disturbing,” said Lilian Dodenhoff, 32, standing outside the facility. 

“It doesn’t feel good. You’re just… you know that you have to call on your friends. So I just immediately reached out to people that I knew shouldn’t be alone right now.”

As of Friday evening, at least seven states had already banned abortion — Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and South Dakota.

Many more are expected to follow suit or severely restrict the procedure. 

Protesters also marched in New York and Boston as anger over the Supreme Court decision grew. 

“Abortion is a human right, not just for the rich and white,” protesters in New York chanted on Friday.

Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul met the crowd at Union Square, telling reporters that New York would be a “safe harbor” for those unable to receive abortions in their own states.

“This is the most reactionary, most reactionary Supreme Court, probably in the history of our nation,” she said, adding that abortion rights were “secure” in New York. 

“We took action already, we allocated $35 million to support our abortion providers to be able to help our sisters across this nation find their way here. This is their safe harbor.”

Criticism of the move also came from abroad, including from US allies including Britain, whose Prime Minister Boris Johnson called it “a big step backwards.”

Canada’s leader Justin Trudeau said it was “horrific” and French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his “solidarity with women whose freedoms are today challenged.”

Acknowledging the international concerns, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted his department would “remain fully committed to helping provide access to reproductive health services and advancing reproductive rights around the world.”

– ‘Egregiously wrong’ –

In the majority opinion, Justice Samuel Alito said Roe v. Wade was “egregiously wrong.”

“Abortion presents a profound moral issue on which Americans hold sharply conflicting views,” he said. “The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion.”

The court tossed out the legal argument in Roe v. Wade that women had the right to abortion based on the constitutional right to privacy with regard to their own bodies.

While the ruling represents a victory in the struggle against abortion by the religious right, leaders of the Christian conservative movement said it does not go far enough and they will push for a nationwide ban.

“While it’s a major step in the right direction, overturning Roe does not end abortion,” said the group March for Life.

“God made the decision,” said former Republican president Donald Trump while praising the ruling.

The decision was made possible by Trump’s nomination to the court of three conservative justices — Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

– ‘Will not stop there’ –

The three liberal justices on the court dissented from the ruling, which came a day after the court ushered in a major expansion of US gun rights.

“One result of today’s decision is certain: the curtailment of women’s rights, and of their status as free and equal citizens,” they said.

Abortion providers could now face criminal penalties and “some States will not stop there,” they warned.

“Perhaps, in the wake of today’s decision, a state law will criminalize the woman’s conduct too, incarcerating or fining her for daring to seek or obtain an abortion,” they said.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 13 states have adopted so-called “trigger laws” that will ban abortion virtually immediately.

Ten others have pre-1973 laws that could go into force or legislation that would ban abortion after six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.

Women in states with strict anti-abortion laws will either have to continue with their pregnancy, undergo a clandestine abortion, obtain abortion pills, or travel to another state where it remains legal.

Several Democratic-led states, anticipating an influx, have taken steps to facilitate abortion and three of them — California, Oregon and Washington — issued a joint pledge to defend access in the wake of the court’s decision.

Standing outside what had been the last remaining abortion clinic in Missouri on Friday, Pamela Lukehart choked back tears as she recalled how things were before the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision enshrining a woman’s right to the procedure.

“Women died getting abortions back then,” the 68-year-old told AFP, her voice breaking as she stood alongside scores of other protesters. 

“We were trying to protect women’s rights, women’s lives, and now they’ve taken all that away from us.”

The conservative-dominated Supreme Court on Friday overturned its monumental decision in Roe v. Wade, putting an end to the federal right to abortions it established nearly 50 years ago. 

The seismic ruling immediately triggered a wave of right-leaning states to impose new bans on the procedure — with Missouri being the first. 

Less than two hours after the court’s decision, the state’s attorney general Eric Schmitt tweeted a photo of himself signing off on the prohibition, calling the occasion “a monumental day for the sanctity of life”.

The swift ban forced the Planned Parenthood clinic on St. Louis’ Forest Park Avenue –- which had been the last facility providing abortions in the state -– to immediately stop offering the procedure.

“Today, for me, it’s tragic because we fought so hard to get this law passed in 1973,” said Lukehart, who was accompanied by her granddaughter Audrey at the protest outside the Planned Parenthood clinic. 

“Now 50 years later, they have jerked this away from us. This is wrong. It’s totally wrong,” she said.

– ‘We cannot stand by’ –

While Midwestern, conservative Missouri was the first state to ban abortions after the ruling, it was not the last.

As of Friday evening, at least six other states had imposed bans: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. 

Indiana also announced it would take steps to do the same, and abortion providers in Wisconsin said the procedure was now banned there as well.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in St. Louis following the ban, chanting “My body, my choice,” and carrying signs bearing slogans like “Abortion is Healthcare.”

Addressing the crowd through a megaphone, one speaker said: “We cannot stand by while our rights are taken away from us.”

Back at the Planned Parenthood clinic, protester Alec Ryan, 31, said the new bans on abortion would have tangible consequences.

“So there are going to be women and pregnant people who are trapped in abusive marriages because they can’t get an abortion. There are going to be people who are put in situations that they shouldn’t be put into,” he told AFP. 

“It’s going to be a tragedy.”

Linda Locke, who sits on the Planned Parenthood’s board in St Louis, worried about the impact of Friday’s decision on younger generations.

“I have granddaughters, right?” she said. “And they all grew up thinking their body was under their control. And today, it’s just shocking to me and disappointing that the Supreme Court just told them that, ‘No, you don’t… We don’t trust you to make decisions about your own body.'”

A US navy destroyer sunk during World War II has been found nearly 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) below sea level off the Philippines, making it the world’s deepest shipwreck ever located, an American exploration team said.

The USS Samuel B Roberts went down during a battle off the central island of Samar on October 25, 1944 as US forces fought to liberate the Philippines — then a US colony — from Japanese occupation.

A crewed submersible filmed, photographed and surveyed the battered hull of the “Sammy B” during a series of dives over eight days this month, Texas-based undersea technology company Caladan Oceanic said.

Images showed the ship’s three-tube torpedo launcher and gun mount.

“Resting at 6,895 meters, it is now the deepest shipwreck ever located and surveyed,” tweeted Caladan Oceanic founder Victor Vescovo, who piloted the submersible.

“This small ship took on the finest of the Japanese Navy, fighting them to the end,” he said.

According to US Navy records, Sammy B’s crew “floated for nearly three days awaiting rescue, with many survivors perishing from wounds and shark attacks”. Of the 224 crew, 89 died.

The battle was part of the larger Battle of Leyte, which saw intense fighting over several days between US and Japanese forces.

Sammy B was one of four US ships sunk in the October 25 engagement.  

The USS Johnston, which at nearly 6,500 metres was previously the world’s deepest shipwreck identified, was reached by Vescovo’s team in 2021. 

In the latest search, the team also looked for the USS Gambier Bay at more than 7,000 metres below sea level, but was unable to locate it. 

It did not search for the USS Hoel due to the lack of reliable data showing where it may have gone down.

The wreck of the Titanic lies in about 4,000 metres of water.

The US Supreme Court’s historic end to nationwide abortion rights on Friday drew unusual criticism from some of America’s closest allies and bucks a global trend to more liberal reproductive rights.

The decision came one day after the Supreme Court also struck down some of the modest restrictions on guns — an issue that, along with the US embrace of the death penalty, has long shocked other Western nations.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson — a Conservative who worked closely with former president Donald Trump, whose judicial nominations paved the way for Friday’s decision — said the Supreme Court decision will have “massive impacts” worldwide.

“I think it’s a big step backwards. I’ve always believed in a woman’s right to choose and I stick to that view, and that’s why the UK has the laws that it does,” Johnson said on a visit to Rwanda.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the decision across the border as “horrific.”

“No government, politician, or man should tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.

French President Emmanuel Macron voiced his “solidarity with women whose freedoms are today challenged” by the US Supreme Court, while Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that legal and safe abortion was a fundamental right.

“Depriving women of their individual rights is a backlash against decades of hard-fought work,” Linde said.

Among the few world leaders who may be heartened by the ruling is Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, an ally of Trump and his own country’s evangelical Christians, who took to Twitter hours before the decision to denounce an 11-year-old girl’s abortion of a fetus that was the result of rape.

– US ‘outlier’ –

US President Joe Biden himself deplored that the top court has “made the United States an outlier among developed nations in the world” as he vowed to keep up efforts to secure legal abortion.

Biden made his remarks on the eve of flying to a summit in Germany, which just Friday repealed a Nazi-era law that limits the information that doctors and clinics can provide about abortion.

And US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a point of stressing in a statement Friday night that his agency remains “fully committed” to helping provide access to reproductive health services both around the world and among its employees.

Traditionally Catholic Ireland overturned an abortion ban in a 2018 referendum and Latin America, long a stronghold against abortion, has also been moving to liberalize its laws.

Colombia in February legalized abortion up to 24 weeks into pregnancy and Chile shortly afterward said it would enshrine the decriminalization of abortion in its constitution. 

Mexico last year had its own historic Supreme Court decision — declaring the prohibition of abortion unconstitutional.

The United States was one of the first countries to grant a nationwide right to abortion with the 1973 Roe v Wade decision that was overturned Friday after years of mobilization by opponents.

But the United States was also an outlier in its sweeping right to abortion until fetal viability, although advocates stress that few doctors perform late-term abortions except in exceptional circumstances.

Representative Mike Waltz, a Republican, said that the United States had been “one of only a handful of countries in the world that allow abortion on demand, comparable to authoritarian regimes such as China and North Korea.”

“Even most European nations maintain some restrictions for abortions,” he said in a statement.

The Supreme Court decision, he said, “will save millions of innocent, unborn lives.”

But drawing the anger of Republican administrations, a number of aid groups have advocated for legal abortion on the grounds that banning it would only make the procedure less safe and put women’s lives at risk.

David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee and a former British foreign secretary, said the Supreme Court decision “marks a dark day for reproductive rights and bodily autonomy not just within the United States but the world over.”