Abortion has become illegal or highly restricted in several states since a 2022 Supreme Court decision, which took a conservative turn under Donald Trump. The right to abortion is one of the issues in the presidential election.
They wait for patients from 5 a.m. A handful of activists greet women trying to have an abortion with anti-abortion slogans in a small clinic in Florida. "Don't be a murderer, don't become the mother of a murdered child," says one of them, in a state with already very restrictive laws, as abortion is only allowed up to six weeks, since a reform in April 2023 permitted by a Supreme Court decision. The scene illustrates the growing difficulty of terminating a pregnancy in the United States, an issue that has become a major issue in the presidential election on November 5.
Robert, one of the anti-abortion activists, already considers Florida's legislation too permissive. "You have to ask yourself who is right: is it the State of Florida, or is it God?" asks the young man, who has no doubt about the answer: "It's God, absolutely." However, the question divides even believers. In front of the clinic, a group of volunteers welcomes patients at the request of their church: "We try to put our faith into action, but differently," says one of them. The reduction in the legal time limit for abortion has very concrete consequences for the women received at this clinic: "If I hadn't come this weekend, I wouldn't have been able to have an abortion in Florida, I would have had to go to another state," explains Abigail. "It's so early that you don't even have time to think." The young patient, who hopes for a relaxation of the law, believes that everything will depend on the outcome of the presidential election: "I pray that Trump is not elected."
"This experience has changed my perspective"
In Alabama, abortion has become illegal, even in cases of rape or incest. Alyssa Gonzales, a young mother, had to leave the state. When she was four months pregnant, the young woman learned that her fetus had Down syndrome, a fatal disease from which the child has no chance of surviving. Doctors explained to her "that they could not induce labor: it would technically be an abortion."
Alyssa, increasingly ill, was at risk of sepsis. She had to travel to Washington, a 15-hour drive from her home, to have an emergency abortion. "I was in a room full of women, we were packed in like sardines," she recalls. "I was beyond angry. ... I had to leave my state so a doctor could take care of me." The young woman and her partner were not staunch Democrats, but their traumatic experience shook their political beliefs. "Before, I would have voted conservative, but this experience changed my perspective," the young man explains.
"Now, I'm really going to think about who to vote for." Alyssa seems to have made her choice: "Honestly, I didn't think I would go to the polls. But with all this, things have to change. And Kamala seems pretty good to me."