(Photo: PDN file)

A key question for us on Guam is whether our current abortion laws meet the terms and conditions set down by the U.S. Supreme Court in cases such as Roe v. Wade and the recent decision of Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt.

My guess is that they do, but the road to compliance has been bumpy, to say the least.

In 1978, the Guam Legislature enacted a criminal law that regulated abortions. The apparent goal was to bring Guam’s abortion laws into compliance with the Roe v. Wade decision.  Tracking the Supreme Court’s trimester approach to regulating abortions, the law provided that an abortion on Guam could be performed within the first 13 weeks of pregnancy.  Between the 14th and 26th weeks, an abortion was permitted if the unborn child faced a “grave physical or mental defect,” or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. The law also permitted an abortion at any time during the pregnancy if there was substantial risk to the mother’s health.

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Source: Pacific Daily News