WOMEN’S abortion rights feature in the US Supreme Court, where the 1973 Supreme Court ruling to give women the right to an abortion up the 24-week point is being considered.

The state of Mississippi is seeking to overturn the Roe vs Wade ruling, effectively allowing states to re-establish their own local policies.

As an example, before Roe Vs Wade Texas only permitted abortion if the pregnancy would endanger the life of the mother. This was a very temporary view in that the danger was constrained to the process of birth and immediately afterwards.

READ MORE: Ghislaine Maxwell told Jeffrey Epstein staff ‘not to look in his eyes’, New York court hears

The longer-term dangers to the woman’s life and expectations were not taken into consideration, and neither were any of the other collateral damage to children’s health in the existing family.

Ex-President Trump has already stacked the US Supreme Court with his type of judge, making the decision to uphold at risk.

So in summary, a group of people that are not pregnant are going to tell a pregnant woman that she cannot have an abortion because the pregnancy was due to rape or from within an abusive relationship or due to contraception failure or in a loving relationship but the additional baby would adversely affect the lives of the children.

Women need protection, predominately from men but not all men, just some. In this instance it’s the legal professionals and religious zealots. If solely women (the gender who are predominately affected by pregnancy and child care) in the US were asked to vote on abortion, this would seem to be the fairest and most sensible course. I am sure Roe vs Wade would be upheld.

Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus

AFTER a year when the indy polls have – unfortunately – been on a downward trend since the previous 2020 high, the latest poll by IPSOS/MORI putting YES on 55% will be cheering news to all indy supporters, of all party affiliations and none. (Support for indy at 55%, poll finds, Dec 2).

It could be that the SNP signalling that a date will be set this coming spring for a referendum in 2023 has focused minds, or perhaps the deepening of distaste for “Peppa” Johnson’s Tory Westminster government is responsible for the dramatic increase in support since the previous published poll, which showed indy on 46%.

READ MORE: Support for independence soars to 55 per cent, new poll finds

Or, possibly. a growing awareness that a vote for indy won’t automatically lead to Scotland rejoining the EU, but that any proposal to do so from a future Scottish Government would have to be put to a people’s referendum in an independent Scotland, has reassured some Yes voters who are opposed to EU membership, and brought them fully back into the Yes fold.

Or it could be a mixture of all three.

It’s only one poll, of course, but hard work and unity of purpose from ALL in Yes can maybe turn this into a long-term and decisive trend. That way, even if arrogant Westminster refuses a Section 30 order, other democratic options to test the sovereign will of the Scottish people – such as turning a Westminster General Election or a Holyrood election into a plebiscite on independence – become possible.

READ MORE: What can be learned from the latest poll on Scottish attitudes to independence?

To build that unstoppable movement and momentum, to keep that trend going in the right direction, and to “clinch the deal” with the Scottish people, we all need to find that generosity of spirit and openness of imagination that characterised the mass nature of the Yes 2014 campaign. We need to recognise and accept differences (on the EU, on the balance between trans rights and sex-based rights, on the relationship between party and movement and so on) while recognising that what unites us (independence and genuine sovereign democratic choice for the Scottish people) outweighs in priority, scale and possibility those other important issues.

Let’s come together again and rekindle the positive and inclusive spirit of 2014. This time we can win.

This time we MUST win – for our own sakes, and for the sake of Scotland’s future generations.

Steve Arnott
Inverness

THE M&S range of charity “Merry Pigmas” cards featuring Percy in a Santa hat have sparked fury amongst some Christians. Despite Premier Christian News temperately saying: “There are plenty of worse things to get outraged about before we get to Percy Pig”, other believers have fired back with the usual Christian-centric indignation. “Absolutely offensive! We are a Christian country! Christmas is the celebration of Christ, not anything else”, and more importantly, “Imagine doing that with any other deity!”

Sadly they’re not wrong on that last point, but no religious ideas should be protected from satire. We must remember that despite our midwinter festive currently bearing a religious name, it holds many “true meanings” for different people. Fragile Christians should not expect a medal for having tolerance and a sense of humour.

Neil Barber
Edinburgh Secular Society