Roe vs Wade has resonated widely – but the US is not the centre of the universe

It isn’t healthy to focus on American issues so obsessively that we ignore other countries.

A rally in support of worldwide abortion rights in Paris, June 24, 2022. Photo by Stephane de Sakutin / AFP

I have spent a grand total of one week of my life in New York City, and yet can name all of its boroughs and many of its streets. I never set out to study the city’s geography or its history, but I somehow managed to absorb it passively. The same is true of Washington DC, which I’ve never visited, and San Francisco likewise.

For my sins, I follow American politics almost as closely as I follow British politics. My Twitter and other media feeds provide a constantly refreshing supply of news and commentary imported from the US.