Commentary: Overturning of Roe v Wade abortion decision has upended the US midterm elections

SINGAPORE: Abortion in the United States has been a highly partisan issue for decades. Politically, it is often summed up by where one stands on the landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision that guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion.

So when the US Supreme Court – with a conservative majority of judges – overturned Roe v Wade on Jun 24 after a draft decision was leaked in May, it was expected but no less stunning.

Americans on both sides of the issue have celebrated or protested the ruling in the streets. But the next fight will be at the midterm elections in November.

Shortly after the ruling, US President Joe Biden declared that “Roe is on the ballot”. US voters will decide on all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and about a third of the 100 seats in the Senate.

Will Roe v Wade unify the Democrats or rally the Republicans in the lead up to the polls? And why would this matter to anyone outside of the United States?

While the midterms typically focus on domestic issues, changes in the House or Senate – where the Democrats have only tiny majorities – may leave Congress in a political gridlock. This could hamper Biden’s ability to enact policy and appoint key leaders, against a global backdrop of uncertainty and turmoil.

DEMOCRATS SEE RULING AS ATTACK ON PERSONAL FREEDOM

Unsurprisingly, Democrats see the Supreme Court decision as an attack on personal freedom, privacy and women’s rights.

And it’s easy to see why: Conservative justice Clarence Thomas has already argued that other decisions that rely on the same privacy arguments as Roe v Wade should be reconsidered, including the right to birth control, same-sex relations and same-sex marriage.