On Friday, June 24, 2022, I learned of the abortion decision by the Supreme Court – overturning Roe v. Wade – and became outraged. If you felt that the three justices who were appointed by former President Trump (with Don McGahn in the shadows) misled senators and the public, you’re not alone. It’s clear to many that the Supreme Court is partisan and doesn’t hold their own branch’s precedents to a high standard. Based on what Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas said during their confirmation hearings and their histories on abortion, overturning Roe v. Wade shows that they have prejudged abortion, thus, unfit to be judges.
Abortion is a sensitive issue and difficult decision that should ultimately be between the pregnant person and their doctor. It’s the pregnant person who has to live with these decisions. It’s understandable that some restrictions on abortion are reasonable, and doctors, particularly OB-GYNs, are the ones who should be leading the discussion along with people who have been in a situation where they needed to consider abortion. When the government bans abortion in all circumstances or is extremely limited, what they are really saying about pregnant people are:
- Once they are pregnant, they have no control over their body
- It’s acceptable if they die from increased risk factors of being pregnant and carry a child to term
- It’s acceptable if they die from unsafe abortions
- They can’t make appropriate family planning and financial decisions in the event that contraception fails
- They can’t make appropriate mental health and financial decisions when they are victims of incest and rape
- It’s acceptable that they endure the emotional and mental trauma and health problems associated with carrying an embryo/fetus to term, even when their their embryo/fetus has no chance of surviving outside the womb
I am fortunate to live in a state where abortion is legal, and even expanded access to abortion for those seeking it outside of their state. When conservative state governments are working on ways to prevent women from crossing state lines to have an abortion, the government is regulating women’s lives and free movement. Clearly the Ninth Amendment began to be meaningless on June 24, 2022. From my perspective, lawyers and the perfect victim should file a suit citing banning and restricting abortion access violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
I’m still processing this, because I’ve lived with abortion being available for my whole life. I know that it’s none of my business if someone has an abortion; I would never know if someone had an abortion unless they told me, and even then, I would listen and support them. I equate “none of my business” to not telling people what groceries they need to buy. After all, it’s someone else’s decision what they put into their bodies and how healthy they eat, and they live with their decisions.
I’ve compiled another list below of articles from NPR that are worth reading, if you haven’t already. Most of the articles are current. My previous post has several more articles on consequences of restricting and banning abortion.
- As Roe Falls, Criminal Defense Lawyers Sound the Alarm about Mass Incarceration
- Global Reproductive and Women’s Rights Groups React to Overturn Roe v. Wade
- Nearly 100 Years Later, One Family Remembers an Illegal Abortion that Ended in Tragedy
- For Doctors, Abortion Restrictions Create an ‘Impossible Choice’ when Providing Care
- With Roe v. Wade Overturned, Disabled People Reflect on how it will Impact Them
- Benjamin Franklin gave Instructions on At-Home Abortions in a Book in the 1700s
- A Landmark Study Tracks the Lasting Effect of having an Abortion – Or Being Denied One
- Because of Texas Abortion Law, her wanted Pregnancy Became a Medical Nightmare
- States with the Toughest Abortion Laws have the Weakest Maternal Support, Data Shows
- For One Rape Survivor, New Abortion Bans Bring Back Old, Painful Memories
One of scariest part of overturning Roe v. Wade is Justice Thomas’ concurring opinion, in which he writes that reconsidering the rights to contraception and same-sex marriage are on the table. It makes me question if this could extend to interracial marriage, and skew the country’s laws favoring conservative beliefs and ideologies. In a sense, by lessening the rights afforded to people in the Ninth Amendment, people today have have fewer rights and protections than what the Framers intended. The U.S. is really messed up because of certain people in power.
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