Anti-abortion activists plan backdoor strategy to US ban - BBC News

A federal abortion ban won’t pass Congress. But activists hope a 19th Century law could be enforced to halt the procedure.

14 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingRelated TopicsUS abortion debateImage source, Getty ImagesBy Holly Honderichin WashingtonUS anti-abortion activists, including allies of Donald Trump, have a strategy to ban abortion nationwide - one that bypasses Congress and the American people. It's a plan that hinges on Mr Trump's re-election in November and the use of a little-known 19th Century law.

At this year's annual "Pro-Life Summit" on 20 January, guests listened to a keynote speech from Marjorie Dannenfelser, head of Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America, one of the country's most influential anti-abortion groups.

Ms Dannenfelser is widely credited with convincing Donald Trump to appoint three anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court during his presidential term. In June 2022, those appointees helped overturn Roe v Wade, rescinding the nationwide right to abortion.

It was a generational victory for the anti-abortion movement. The runway had opened, activists said at the time, to an abortion-free future.

But in the nearly two years since, their campaign has stalled in crucial ways. The American public has shown consistent support for abortion access, even in conservative states.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68580015

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