US Roe vs Wade abortion ruling: Supreme Court's attack on women's rights is part of a broader culture war – Angus Robertson MSP

Make no mistake, the United States Supreme Court ruling that struck down the fundamental right of women to choose is part of a larger cultural war against the rights of women and minorities.

Protesters gather in the wake of the decision overturning Roe vs Wade outside the US Supreme Court on Saturday (Picture: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

The court reversed the 1973 landmark Roe vs Wade case that established the right for women to have an abortion. The three judges appointed by Donald Trump have tipped the balance of the court to be in favour of right-wing fundamentalism.

Tragically, the regressive Justice Coney Barrett replaced the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the most notable defenders of women’s rights in recent history.

While the rights of women were the immediate victims of Friday’s ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas’s opinion contained a hugely worrying section: “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell,” Clarence wrote. The cases referenced were those which established the protection of contraception access, marriage equality and wider LGBTQ+ rights.

Only hours after this, a terrorist attack on an LGBTQ+ bar in Oslo left two dead and 21 injured. It was the night before Oslo Pride was due to take place.

On Saturday, around 30,000 people gathered for Edinburgh Pride. Members from all parties in the Scottish Parliament, government representatives and activists spoke in support of LGBTQ+ rights and the people of Oslo, but also in solidarity with women in the US and worldwide.

It reminds us that the pursuit of equality for one is the pursuit of equality for all. In better news closer to home, the Scottish Government is committed to establishing buffer zones around family planning clinics to stop intimidation by protesters.

Angus Robertson is the SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central and Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Secretary