By ABBY GROFF – Opinion
Staff Writer
It’s all anyone is talking about right now: the leaked SCOTUS opinion draft regarding Roe v. Wade. The court ruled in 1973 that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment protects a person’s right to privacy. What this means for most women is that they have the right to choose whether to have an abortion or not.
Overturning Roe v. Wade means abortion will not be protected at the federal level, but it will now be up to the States to decide whether they would like to sustain its laws or ban the procedure completely. States such as Arkansas, North Dakota, and Ohio are expected to enforce strict abortion bans followed by overturning the ruling, as well as other states along what is known as the “Bible Belt.” On the other hand, California’s Governor Gavin Newson has made it clear that he would like to propose an Amendment to the California Constitution that protects the right to choose. While women in some of these bluer states shouldn’t have to worry, it still isn’t fair to those living in more conservative areas to have to live with rights to their bodily autonomy being stripped away. Why is it that some of the best nations on Earth are expanding their rights, while America is stuck restricting them?
Regardless of an individual’s beliefs on abortion, at the end of the day, it is the woman’s final decision on how they’d like to go about their pregnancy. Simply, if you don’t like the idea of terminating a pregnancy, don’t do it. That is up to you; however, it isn’t up to someone to determine the outcome of another individual’s life. Many of those that are a part of the “Pro-Life” movement back their cause on religious beliefs. Christian Americans make up a majority of the country, and obviously, there is nothing wrong with this. Religion is a big part of a person’s life. This doesn’t mean everyone is Christian, though. There are Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, and agnostic people as well. But if my religion included not eating peanuts, should I go around telling everyone to stop eating peanuts because it “goes against my religion?” No. It’s a ridiculous concept.
Banning abortions in America will not eliminate abortions, only safe abortions. It will not stop women from seeking them out. The result of potentially overturning this case will be messy, traumatizing, and dangerous. It should also be noted that nobody is “Pro-Abortion” and no one truly wants to have one. If the United States government did more to make birth control and contraceptives accessible to low-income families, teenagers, and women the rates of abortion would decrease. Sadly this isn’t the case. Abortion is a touchy subject, but everyone knows it is a last resort decision. It is still important that the choice to have one exists in order to protect victims of sexual assault or mothers experiencing an unsafe or risky pregnancy.
Also, recognizing the Supreme Court’s current conservative majority, what is next? Griswold v. Connecticut? Obergefell v. Hodges? This is their chance to overturn other court cases that have been met with disdain by the far right. Overturning Obergefell v. Hodges and eliminating gay marriage is very unlikely, as it is protected by the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, but many also thought Roe v. Wade was the settled law of the land. Now, this could potentially change. When guns, weapons created with the intention to kill, are less restricted than a human’s access to healthcare, you know something is going downhill.