Women Behind Bars, A Post-Roe America By Kyla Korpics
Women Behind Bars, A Post-Roe America
A cartoon woman captured by a hand representing the US Government system, The Guardian.
After the overturn of Roe v Wade on June 24, 2022, “freedom and justice for all” now feel more like “freedom and justice for those the government deems worthy”.
According to the New York Times, “most abortions are now banned in at least 13 states restricting the procedure taking effect following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade”. In a country that pushes the “American dream” and freedom in the land of opportunity, anyone with a uterus should be guaranteed access to reproductive health and abortion services if they are not, the country is headed down a dark unruly path.
Pro-Choice Protest in Arizona, AZ Mirror
Women have been fighting for equal rights for decades, whether it was the right to vote, equal pay, or bodily autonomy, it was a fight nonetheless. How long is the government going to stand idly by and allow millions of women to continue to suffer due to lack of access? The American Journal of Public Health notes,
“Reproductive well-being and equity require systems working together to develop trust and authentic, power-sharing relationships with communities, particularly those that have been historically marginalized.” Women deserve the right to decide what to do with their own bodies just as much as any other group of people in the country.
"Chart depicting % who ___ of the Supreme Court's decision that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee a right to abortion and that abortion laws can be set by states" Pew Research Center
Restricting abortion access does not deter abortions it instead prevents safe abortion care and puts the health of the pregnant woman at risk. In an article by Ana Langer titled “The negative health implications of restricting abortion access,” she pulls a quote from The World Health Organization stating, “23,000 women die from unsafe abortions each year and tens of thousands more experience significant health complications globally”.
Abortions will not be abolished only safe abortions will be. The statistics related to complications are highlighted by the BU School Of Public Health such as “7 million women were treated for complications from unsafe abortions”, “22,800 women dying annually”, and “about 40% of women who do experience complications never receive treatment”.
Women experiencing complications may be discouraged to reach out for help for fear of a fine, especially if abortive access is restricted in their state. These restrictions do regularly deter specialists to provide help as well even in situations that could be fatal for the fetus or for the mother. Not only are doctors worried about the consequences of providing abortion care, but mothers are being prosecuted for fetal conditions out of their control.
Need a real-life example? take the case of Chelsea Becker (as reported by The Guardian) for example, a woman who was prosecuted for murder after her stillbirth. She spent 16 months behind bars while awaiting a trial. Luckily her charges were dismissed but after the trauma of losing a child, she was brutally changed by the murder of a child she carried to term and cared for. She is a victim, not a murderer.
Around the United States millions of people see this injustice and recognize the need for a brighter tomorrow,
and the right to bodily autonomy. More often than not these pro-choice ideals are voiced
through protest. As you might have guessed, the other side is just as vocal. A major pushback
in the Pro-Choice movement is the Pro-life side of this ongoing battle.
The Pro-Life movement in the US, typically based on religion, makes claims relating to how life starts at conception. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops states, “We proclaim that human life is a precious gift from God; that each person who receives this gift has responsibilities toward God, self, and others; and that society, through its laws and social institutions, must protect and nurture human life at every stage of its existence.”
Last time I checked America’s constitution speaks on the importance of the separation between church and state, but recently that does not seem to be the case. Legislators and those in the senate have been voting based on their own personal religious belief platform rather than the good of the people.
Pro-Life Protesters outside of a Planned Parenthood, Colorado Springs Gazette
Additionally, the Pro-life movement is rather hypocritical as they are more focused on the pregnancy than the woman carrying the fetus. Although some Pro-life organizations support adoption agencies and such, typically they are planted outside of Planned Parenthood establishments screaming bloody murder at the women going for services who may not even be getting an abortion in the first place.
Planned Parenthood provides countless other services to aid in reproductive and sexual wellness outside of abortion. If we abolish abortion and close down Planned Parenthood locations, people everywhere will lose access to affordable STD and STI testing. Those who are carrying a fetus and plan to carry it to term will lose Planned Parenthood as a resource throughout their pregnancy.
Abortions are not the only category of reproductive health in jeopardy, contraceptive access may also be at risk which poses a whole new set of problems. NBC News says, “some states could try to classify Plan B or IUDs as abortifacients as states interpret decades-old anti-abortion laws that could now go back into effect”.
have the money to provide for them? That child may now experience neglect and may eventually
Taking away access to birth control such as pills, patches, IUDs, the implant, or Plan B could drastically change society's view on sex and sexual wellness. Unwanted pregnancy would be much more common and the number of people being born each year could reach record highs. Without various forms of contraception readily available, families not interested in conceiving will be bringing children into the world.
What happens to those children after they are born? What If the family does not
be put into the foster care system or up for adoption. People against abortion are not thinking
about what happens after the child is born, but rather are more focused on the control of the
mother's body.
Having a child is a huge responsibility with a lot of different aspects to consider. If someone who, under any circumstance, becomes pregnant decided they cannot handle that responsibility, they should have the right to choose what is best for them and their body. It is not the government's job to regulate what the general population decides to do for their own health. It is their job to make sure those seeking care have the access to make those decisions.
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