Roe v. Wade is a monumental court case that shaped the future for women. The Supreme Court has decided to overturn the ruling and put the decision about abortion back into the hands of elected representatives after 50 years. The question is: why is my body being politicized?
What is Roe v. Wade?
In 1970, a plaintiff who went by the name Jane Roe filed a lawsuit against the district attorney of Dallas County, Henry Wade. She challenged Texas’ state law that made abortion illegal, with the only exception being to save a woman’s life. Roe argued that the law was unconstitutional and limited her right to personal privacy. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution protects a woman’s right to have an abortion without excess government restriction.
Before the case, 20 to 25% of pregnancies ended with abortions. An average of 200 women died per year because of having self-induced abortions. This was due to the fact that in many states, abortion was illegal. Therefore, there weren’t many options to terminate a pregnancy. However, physicians and providers performed abortions, risking their careers.
Roe v. Wade Today
For many years, some states have been trying to put in laws to ban abortions but were never successful. However, 13 states have put “trigger bans” into place that ban abortion, which would go into place immediately after Roe v. Wade is officially overturned. States that had abortion restrictions before the court case such as Michigan, Wisconsin, and West Virginia, would ultimately be regulated if the case is overturned. Some states are also putting bans in place that will not allow people seeking an abortion to travel out of state, by permitting individuals to report and sue those they know are planning to get an abortion in another state.
On Monday, May 2nd, Politico leaked an initial draft majority opinion from the Supreme Court, describing their vote to overturn Roe v. Wade. Written by justice Samuel Alito, it states that Roe v. Wade “was egregiously wrong from the start.” They further state that “The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision…”
The decision becomes official only if published, likely two months from now. If this decision becomes final, federal protection rights would dissolve, allowing each state to make its own laws on abortion.
“There are a variety of reasons a woman might opt for abortion other than it being an unwanted pregnancy. I am proud mom of multiples that might have had to make a difficult decision. If both of the embryos I put in during IVF split and I was carrying four babies, I might have had to decide if I wanted to terminate one or more if it was going to endanger my life or the other babies’ lives. If a fetus wasn’t growing properly or was missing organs and would only live a few hours after birth if it even made it that far, the parents should have the option to terminate. I’m sure these would be tough decisions regardless of the reason. However, a woman should always have the right to choose what is best for her and her body. Unless you are in that person’s shoes, you have no right to tell them what they should be doing or create laws that restrict people’s rights to decide for themselves,” explained new mom Danielle Allen.
It’s More than Just Abortion
40 million women live in states that are hostile toward abortion rights. That’s 58% of U.S. women who are at reproductive age. Roe v. Wade not only protects abortion rights, it also protects things such as birth control and doctors who perform abortions, etc.
With the logic that the Supreme Court is using to overturn Roe v. Wade, this would mean other cases that protect things such as same-sex marriage and interracial marriage could be easily overturned as well. Roe v. Wade being overturned is scary enough, but it’s simply the beginning.
More women will die because of this through back-alley abortions and self-induced abortions. People will go to extreme lengths to give themselves an abortion. They will use things like tar, glue, bleach, hangers, etc. – all things that can cause infections and be fatal when used.
Senior Jackie Poznanski states, “It’s very unsettling to know that people are willing to let women suffer and potentially die for a situation that they had no control over. Withholding women’s right to choose whether they want an abortion or not is simply inhumane and unjust.”
Final Thoughts
Overturning Roe v. Wade is more than just a political statement- it’s an infringement on human rights. What government officials don’t understand is that regardless of personal opinions, everybody has the right to do what they want with their body. I also find it quite humorous that the majority of government officials creating these abortion bans throughout the country are men.
This whole situation seems to be more about controlling women than it is about protecting unborn babies. If the people making these laws truly cared about human life, they would know that banning abortion would be taking so many away. They would be fighting to fix the foster care system to ensure children aren’t being abused and mistreated. They wouldn’t be mixing in their own religious beliefs and forcing them onto an entire country.
Ohio State Rep. Jean Schmidt called being raped an “opportunity for that woman, no matter how young or old she is, to make a determination about what she’s going to do to help that life be a productive human being.” This claim she made is so vulgar and inhumane to the woman. It’s disgusting and it baffles me how someone can actually think like this. Rape is traumatizing for anyone it happens to. It will never be an “opportunity” and carrying the child of one’s rapist is terrifying. She has some audacity to try to glorify rape.
The bottom line is that people who do not have a uterus should not be making laws for those who do. My body is not a political move or game – it’s mine and I have the right to control it.
