The Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade judgment has upset Australians living in the United States; some are even considering returning to their own country.
The historic ruling recognized abortion as a constitutionally protected right in the United States and made it a national practice.
However, as of last Friday, federal protection for abortion in the US has been eliminated, leaving it up to the states to decide whether or not it is legal.
Australians responded to the news in both their home countries and the United States.
Sophie Hanson, a freelance writer who relocated to New York City in 2019, expressed her feelings to Crikey.
“It is horrifying, dangerous, and hypocritical that only six unelected people can make a religiously-based decision that affects half the country,” she declared.
“It’s pretty messed up when a gun has more rights in this country than my uterus,” you could say.
Even though Ms. Hanson and her husband have decided not to have children, the news nonetheless left her fearful for the future of the nation.
She said she would think about returning to Australia if the government enacted a nationwide ban on abortions.
If Mike Pence, a hardcore Christian Republican who is currently advocating a national ban on abortion, is elected president, I fear what kind of world we’ll live in. If he does, perhaps that will persuade me to relocate,” she told Crikey.
After overturning Roe v. Wade and continuing to have loose gun laws, digital strategist Michael Chaitow, who also immigrated to the US in 2019, stated his opinion that America was moving in the “wrong path.”
According to him, society in the US is becoming “less safe, less egalitarian, and less healthy.”
Australians living abroad have also expressed displeasure with the decision, and demonstrations are planned this Friday and Saturday in significant capital cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Canberra.
It’s just another reminder that as a woman your body is never really yours and that the entire system is working to force us into this patriarchal way of being, NITV journalist Rachael Knowles told News.com.au.
“In the last five years, this has become so much more forceful.”
When discussing the policing of women’s bodies, Gareth Nicholas Richie told the journal, “All it shows to me is that the United States is not a place that anyone should look up to.” There isn’t a “perfect” America.
The Australian response comes as the explosive fallout from the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision continues, with four Australian IT billionaires funding their American employees and a companion to access a safe and legal abortion.
Canva, a website for graphic design, has partnered with Atlassian, a software giant with headquarters in Sydney, and both companies are now willing to cover the costs of airfare and lodging for US employees.
The decision and words made by the four extremely wealthy Australians who are the founders of two of recent Australia’s most successful IT businesses are a major flex against the American conservative right.
Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, who jointly lead Atlassian, are valued at $27.83 billion and $26.41 billion, respectively, while Melanie Perkins and Cliff Obrecht, who jointly lead Canva, are valued at $13.82 billion.
All four are among the top 10 wealthiest Australians, according to the AFR’s list published last week.
Canva expressed its concern for [US] society in a statement.
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has left Canva deeply concerned.
A spokesperson for the company said, “We are concerned for the millions of people who have lost access to safe healthcare, concerned for our team in the United States who are directly impacted by changes to the law, and concerned for society as a result of the precedent this decision sets.”
The Australian businesses are among many who swiftly provided such incentives despite being threatened by Republican senators not to.
Canva is thought to employ about 100 people, whereas Atlassian is thought to employ over 3,000 people in the US.
All of the following companies have committed financial assistance for employees who desire abortions: Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Starbucks, Tesla, Meta (Facebook), Uber, Goldman Sachs, and Citigroup.
Due to the expectation that millions of women may cross state boundaries in the United States in order to obtain legal abortions, many employers have included “critical healthcare” packages to their employee benefit plans.
In addition, it stated that “we believe that safe healthcare is a human right, yet we understand the variety of personal views on this matter.”
“As a first step, we’re covering the cost of travel and lodging for U.S.-based Canvanauts and their designated support person from now forward so that they can seek abortion care in a state where it is neither restricted or prohibited.”
On Saturday morning, Atlassian made it clear that it will instantly cover the costs of “travel and accommodation” for US-based staff and “a companion” in order to have a safe abortion.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, it is anticipated that half of the US states, including Texas, Utah, Mississippi, and Georgia, will outlaw abortion. The current prohibition on abortions after 15 weeks may be extended in Florida.
In California, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Nevada, and Colorado, abortion is still legal.
Mike Cannon-Brookes, the multibillionaire co-founder and joint-CEO of Atlassian, tweeted on Saturday morning that his company was “dismayed” by the response.
The statement read, “Beginning today, US employees living in states that have restricted or outlawed abortions will be offered reimbursement for travel and lodging for themselves and a companion should they seek care outside their state.”
The Supreme Court’s ruling today not only denies rights to pregnant women and women in general, but also jeopardizes their safety and health.
“At Atlassian, we are appalled by this decision and firmly oppose the restriction and removal of rights,” the company stated.
Additionally, it stated that the employees’ “ability to access safe and legal reproductive healthcare” was a “priority.”