Student Opinion: It Is Imperative To Uphold Roe v. Wade

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By Ariana Ceballos

On January 22, 2022, Roe v. Wade hit its 49th anniversary. The Supreme Court is preparing to hear Mississippi’s abortion restriction, banning women from having the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy, which is causing people to fear for the overturn of Roe v. Wade. A cloud of apprehension rolls in with the question: will this landmark ruling reach its half-century mark? 

Roe v. Wade is a clause under the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution giving women the right to an abortion. However, with the Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing the Texas anti-abortion law, one that bans ending pregnancies after six weeks, and the Court’s pending hearing of Mississippi’s abortion ban, this right is at risk of being taken away. 

In an age when a nation’s model should be progressive, these bans push us back— risking the lives of citizens, invading womens’ rights to care, and revoking their freedom regarding their bodies. Abortion is a choice that should be between a woman and those closest to her. And as someone living in the United States, the nation of “freedom,” I believe that she should have the right to procure such procedures safely.

The Texas abortion ban went into effect on September 1, 2021, after the Supreme Court voted for the bill not to be blocked. The bill is a “heartbeat bill,” meaning that once a heartbeat is detected in an embryo, an abortion procedure cannot be performed. This activity typically happens at six weeks. That timeframe is very small as most women do not know they’re pregnant early on, and by the time they decide to go forward with an abortion, it may be too late. With this new law, women will have to cross state lines to neighboring states like New Mexico to receive abortion care. Though this option is possible for some women, it’s not accessible for everyone, such as those who are from low-income families, teen girls, and women who do not have the resources to make a long trip. 

Both the Texas and Mississippi abortion bans undercut the previously established timeframe of being able to undergo the procedure after 24 weeks of pregnancy, which was upheld in the past by courts. In recent years, the Supreme Court has shown its fragility with a conservative majority, as it appears that both bans will remain. 

It is important to note that according to a recent poll conducted by Marquette University’s law school, 72% of people of 1,000 surveyed nationwide are against overturning Roe v. Wade. The WTMJ-TV Milwaukee report also mentions that the people involved in the poll were asked about the Texas ban, in which 72% of people also opposed this restriction. This shows how the general public is aware of the struggles women are facing, and will continue to face, if Roe v.  Wade is overturned. 

The ban on abortions is a problem of healthcare, freedom, and safety. In an article for The Washington Post, columnist Petula Dvorak writes about “The Janes,” a group of female activists who sought “compassionate doctors to help frightened women” receive an abortion safely in the 60s, when the procedure altogether was illegal. The group helped more than 11,000 women with counseling, expenses for travel, and the procedure itself as many of them came from low-income backgrounds and were people of color. 

Before women’s health clinics existed, many women seeking an abortion had to go through unsafe measures to undergo the procedure. The Washington Post article describes this saying that these female activists “helped women avoid back alleys, coat hangers, and the mob.” Women were so desperate to receive the care they deserved that it compromised their safety. 

Michelle Colon from SHERo Mississippi, a reproductive rights group states, “Criminalizing abortion is never going to stop abortion. It makes abortions less safe.” Instead of moving forward in creating more options to address the issue, if the Supreme Court upholds the Mississippi ban, we would be going back in time to when women were forced to take dangerous measures to undergo the procedure.

The Supreme Court will hear Mississippi’s case sometime in the summer. Until then, it is important to show support for women’s reproductive rights groups. We can also protest against lawmakers limiting females’ rights and rally around those impacted by the circumstances like those in Texas. Despite the chance that Roe v. Wade has in the courts, I believe there’s a great amount of public support to uphold it. 

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