Back in Time

Jun 29

written by hope samudio

Waking up on Friday, June 24th, 2022, society could have been mistaken that we finally achieved the sci-fi fantasy of going back in time - all the way back to 1973 when a case that would change history took on the U.S. Supreme Court. A woman known as Jane Roe challenged Texas Law on making abortions illegal. The defendant, in this case, was Henry Wade, the district attorney of Dallas County. At this time in Texas, abortion was fully illegal unless a doctor ordered it to happen to save a pregnant woman's life. The case was based on the question of whether or not banning abortion went against the constitutional rights to personal privacy. When SCOTUS found an end to this trial, the right to terminate your pregnancy within the first trimester was ruled legal. This left women with the right to their bodies and created a standard for privacy in the U.S Constitution.

That 7-2 decision on Roe V. Wade was a life changing decision that gave women privacy and protection over their health. However, now in 2022, it seems we are going back nearly 50 years to bring back laws that are laced with religion and oppression. This endless battle of pro-life vs. pro-choice is still happening despite the second clause of the first amendment directly outlawing the mix of religion and politics. Following their pro-life beliefs, Mississippi enacted a pre-viability abortion ban in 2018. This ban went directly against the legal standards enforced by the original ruling of Roe V. Wade. As the case now known as Dobbs V. Jackson Women’s Health Organization came to the Supreme Court, individuals everywhere were filled with fear that the republican justices that were packed into the court by former president Donald Trump would strip away people's rights.

In this case, Dobbs was asking the Supreme Court to completely overturn Roe V. Wade, and take the right to abortion out of the Constitution. This led to the overturning of Roe V. Wade, and ended in a 5-4 decision. Unfortunately, for the millions of people who now have bans on their bodies, this vote wasn’t in the favor of women's rights or health.

Trigger bans immediately went into play once Roe V. Wade was no longer in effect. In early June, there were already 13 states that had laws ready to be triggered into effect if Roe V. Wade was to be overturned. Those states got their wishes, and now, as of the 26th of June, 9 states have fully banned abortion, 12 states are likely on the way to bans or extreme limitations, and another 9 are up in the air waiting on new laws or changes in political control. These bans haven't and won't stop abortions, but they will lead to them being dangerous and more expensive. Moreover, the problems don’t stop there. This is going to be affecting people of color more due to the lasting discrimination which makes it harder for them to gain access to good health care. Losing Roe V. Wade also leaves an open pathway for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community to get stripped away. All of this creates hate, danger, and poverty. That is what it means for the right to terminate one's pregnancy to be left in the hands of the U.S Government.

In these trying times, hope may be fading, but it is not lost. Focusing on the fact that these terrible actions have been made by the U.S. Government and not its citizens is how we may one day again fix this history that is sadly repeating itself. Protests can be seen across the country as many are outraged. Seeing that this country has given more regulations to women's bodies than guns, despite the over 250 mass shootings in this country in 2022 alone, it is no surprise to see backlash in forms of protests. This won’t stop anytime soon; it is vitally important to be joining the cause and fighting for women's and affected people’s rights, even if your state has not been affected. Below you can find important resources to share and ways to donate. This will help save lives and help efforts toward patching up this broken system. Even though it feels like people are only working against you, you are not alone in this fight. During this time, it is important that everyone sticks together and works persistently. Our voices are the most powerful weapon, and the only ones we need.