US President Joe Biden on Friday said that the federal government would protect women travelling to get abortions.
On June 24, the Supreme Court in US overturned its 50-year-old Roe V. Wade judgement. This decision has taken away the constitutional right to abortion of millions of women in the country. It has also paved the way for states to create their own legislations to ban the procedure.
Women in states where abortion will be completely banned or restricted will be forced to cross states borders to areas in the country where abortion is still legal.
There are a number of ways through which the law will be able to persecute people going for abortions. Individuals who will aid women to get abortions will also come under the scanner, reports say.
Addressing a virtual meet with Democratic state governors, Biden said that he believed some US states would attempt to arrest women who cross states for availing abortion.
"I don't think people believe that's going to happen. But it's going to happen," he said.
The president also ensured access to medications that aid in abortions in states where they are prohibited.
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But the government's intervention will lead to more legal problems that might even get the Supreme Cout involved. A political science expert told the BBC that these legal woes will particularly arise if states have a reason to believe that the federal government is working to undermine state laws.
Thirteen states have already restricted or banned abortion since the court's decision last week.
The question that is on the public's mind is if and when will the federal government restore the abortion rights?
The President has said that Democratic victories in the mid-term elections would give Congress the power to restore the federal abortion rights. This will happen only after November, one way or another, he added.
Supreme Court's decision to overturn its own judgement while was anticipated still shook the country. Roe V. Wade ensured that pregnant women were entitled to an abortion during the first three months of their pregnancy, while allowing for legal restrictions and bans in the second and third trimester.
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