October 25, 2022

A Dark Future for Human Rights

Picture of protestors who are against the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, Los Angeles Times

    

    On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe vs. Wade, which is a court case that was decided in 1973. According to Alternatives Pregnancy Center, this case was about the fight to make abortion legal for women, and the Supreme Court passed this by saying that abortion was legal because women having the choice to have an abortion is more powerful than the state's concern for prenatal life until the time where the fetus can survive outside of the womb. 

    The overturning of Roe vs. Wade leaves a lot of unknowns for the future of not only the United States, but the world. This leaves many people, including me, questioning the future of this country, what other changes are to come, and how this will affect the present and future generations. 

    One thing for certain is that the overturning of Roe vs. Wade has caused an uproar on both sides of this debate; on the one side, you have the people who are pro-life and support getting rid of abortion, while on the other side you have people who are pro-choice and believe that abortion should be legal. Both sides have their pros and cons on abortion laws. 

    The positives of pro-life is that all children are given equal opportunity to be born and grow up. It gives all children the chance to be born and experience life, which is a gift. This gives those children the chance to experience the world. While this may allow for more children to experience life, it does not guarantee that the child will grow up in good, healthy conditions. 

    I believe for society to function we need abortion laws regulated by the government because some state representatives and senators are too radical in their ways. One of the biggest arguments for people who are pro-choice is the conditions a child will suffer if born into a struggling household. A struggle for many low-income households is having the money to pay for everything a child needs. By not having the money to buy the child clothes, baby formula, a crib, diapers, etc., the baby can't flourish and grow up in a healthy environment. If a child is born into a low-income family, according to Children's Bureau, they are more likely to have a limited access to quality health care, higher chance of becoming homeless, being unemployed due to a lack of education, low supply of food, little to no safety, and not reaching their full potential. 

    Along with the child growing up in poor conditions, the mother is also affected. The American University acknowledges that woman who cannot get an abortion and end up having a child affects the mother financially. The mother tends to have a lowered credit score and have an increased risk of debt, bankruptcy, and being evicted. If the mother is not financially stable, then the child will not get the care and essentials they need. 

    As a result of Roe vs. Wade being overturned, many women have been looking for other ways to get abortions, whether it's legal or illegal. According to Axios, a total of 17 out of 50 states in the U.S. have banned or restricted abortions. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia. For many women in these states, they are traveling to other states that allow abortions so they can get one done. 

    If women are not able to travel to another state, then they might get an illegal abortion, which can kill the fetus and severely injure the mother. The Humans Rights Watch says, "In country after country, abortion bans have not decreased the number of abortions, but rather increased unsafe abortions, especially affecting people of limited means." With abortion being outlawed in multiple states, women are going to try to find alternative ways to get illegal abortions because they do not want to have a child. 

   Since the overturning of Roe vs Wade, there has been an outrage by people who are pro-choice. Everybody from celebrities, political figures, and former president Donald Trump. 

A tweet from Donald Trump about abortion, Fox 43

   Even though Trump blatantly says he is pro-life, he does have exceptions as to how far pro-life goes. He agrees that people who have been raped, had incest, or the mother's life is in danger should have the right to an abortion. A few senators and representatives across the United States do not believe in abortion no matter the situation. 

     Along with Roe vs. Wade being overturned, this affected another case involving abortion. Planned Parenthood vs. Casey, according to History, was a case about the process of abortion in Pennsylvania. This case was affected because Roe vs. Wade and Planned Parenthood vs. Casey were correlated. With both of these cases being overturned it makes it harder and more challenging for women to get abortions and have choices about their body. Since each state can make any decision they want about the legality and steps to get an abortion, it is uncertain how abortion in the United States will change within the upcoming months and years. 

    With the overturning of those 2 cases, it leaves many people questioning what other cases are in jeopardy of being overturned in the future. One of these cases in Griswold vs. Connecticut, which is a case from 1965 that states had no right to ban contraceptives. Some of these contraceptives include things like birth control, condoms, and Plan B. This court case is at great risk because they can prevent pregnancy before, during, and after intercourse. Many women take birth control and Plan B to prevent pregnancy, so people may claim that taking these kill any chance that any zygote can survive because birth control and Plan B would kill the zygote before it could develop into a fetus. 

    The overturning of Roe vs. Wade has affected the entire nation, whether you are male or female. This affects every one of every age whether you are a teenager, an elder, or a young adult. We need to earn back abortion rights because it is a basic human right. If someone is raped and gets pregnant, they would not be permitted to get an abortion, which could cause a person to go to extremes of getting an illegal abortion, having the child and being miserable, or maybe even as far as committing suicide. This is an issue that will increase the severity of other issues in the future of this country. Having the right to an abortion creates a sense of equality among the men the women of this country. No one person has the right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body in a situation like this, which is why we need to fight for abortion laws to be legal again.