By: Mia Baltierra
On May 3, 2022, an initial draft majority opinion of the U.S Supreme Court was leaked to the public by POLITICO news. The draft outlined a decision to overturn the ruling in the landmark case Roe v. Wade. If finalized, this opinion would remove the federal standard of allowing abortions and leave it up to each state whether they want to criminalize abortions or not. Ever since news of this leaked draft has reached the public, activists across the nation have started protests and marches in supporting of the right to get an abortion. As citizens, it is our duty to stand up and support these protestors to let it be known that we will not let Roe v. Wade be overturned.
This draft comes as no surprise following the prevalence of anti-abortion laws being implemented in the states including the Texas Heartbeat ban. Overturning the source of legal abortions, the Roe v. Wade ruling, appeared to be the next step in the path of legislations to make abortions illegal once again. As Vice President Kamala Haris has said, this decision to overturn Roe is nothing less than “an attack on freedom.” Women need to maintain the federal right to get an abortion, and it should not be up to their state whether they can or can not. Overturning the decision might not lead to all states criminalizing abortions, but it is almost certain that in conservative states like Texas, abortion would surely be made illegal.
On the front steps of the Supreme Court, many gathered together on the day after the draft was leaked to communicate their opinions. Similarly, in Los Angeles, around 400 protestors took to the streets to voice their concerns. One such participant, Lauren Selman, stated her disturbance at the draft and her support of abortion saying, “I think what people don’t understand about this fight is that we’re about choice,” Selman said. “People chose to have abortions and others chose to be mothers. I stand with people having the right to choose.” As Selman said, this fight against the draft opinion is about choice, a human right every woman is entitled to. To protect this right we need to keep talking—talking to our friends, family and peers about this issue so that the Supreme Court knows there will not be compliance on this decision.
The 1973 Roe v. Wade case was instrumental in the American women’s rights movement and gave women the right to freely get access to an abortion. Almost five decades have passed since the monumental case ruling was made, and it appears the Supreme Court may be on the verge of reversing all the work that women have done to make it so any pregnant person can safely terminate a pregnancy.
If Roe is overturned, not only will this lead to many states making access to abortion impossible, but it will also deprive women of their basic human right to have autonomy over their bodies. Many women are not financially, emotionally, or physically prepared to carry a child and if they find themselves pregnant with one, they must be given the opportunity to choose and terminate the pregnancy if they wish. As Senator Elizabeth Warren says, “those who will bear the brunt of a reversal of Roe are Black women, women who are poor, women who are raped and girls who have been molested or who are victims of incest.”
We must continue to let our voices be heard on this issue and let the Supreme Court know that we will not let this ruling pass. As many women across the nation are saying, it is the right of every person who finds themselves pregnant to have the choice to end the pregnancy. Activists must continue to work to let those in power hear our voices and enact justice for the people.
