Right to abortion struck down by US Supreme Court

24 Jun 2022 Millions of women in the United States are losing the constitutional right to abortion, after the Supreme Court overturned its landmark Roe v Wade ruling of 50 years ago, which gave women the right to a termination.

It means that women across the US no longer have the right to abortion guaranteed by the constitution and individual states are entitled to ban the procedure.

Bans in individual states began immediately after the new Supreme Court ruling. 13 states had already passed so-called trigger laws to automatically bring in a ban.

The ruling has delighted opponents of abortion and enraged pro-choice campaigners who have vowed to restore US abortion rights. President Joe Biden described it as "a tragic error”.

Reeta Chakrabarti presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Sarah Smith in Washington and Sophie Long in Arkansas.