by: Victoria Cruz ‘22

      The 21st Century is known for its unprecedented nature. We are in a time of constant change and advancement. The goal is for America to always keep moving forward, but the recently leaked information we received shows that we aren’t moving forward anymore, in fact, we are moving backward. If you don’t yet know what’s going on, let me give you a summary. 

     Roe v Wade was a landmark decision made by the supreme court in 1973, that protects a pregnant women’s right to have a safe abortion without government restriction. A few weeks ago, an anonymous whistleblower leaked a 98-page long supreme court draft, that calls on the court to reevaluate the landmark Roe v Wade case. The draft means that they wish to call this decision into question but does NOT mean that a decision has been made yet. 

     So what does this all mean?

      If the supreme court decides to overturn this decision, it then becomes each state’s individual decision about whether or not abortion in their states should/should not be legal. As of now, it seems that 13 states have set in place trigger laws. This means that if the Roe v Wade decision is overturned, these states would move to outlaw a pregnant woman’s right to safe abortion to different degrees. The states that plan to immediately outlaw all safe abortions include Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missipiss, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri. More states, specifically West Virginia, Nebraska, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida have not outwardly put into place a ban, but would likely do so, in the months that follow the overturning of Roe v Wade. 

     Why is this bad?

     Making abortion illegal, does not mean that abortion will never happen again. It means that women will be forced to seek out illegal, likely unsafe and unsanitary abortions, which greatly increase the chance of said woman dying. As many know, Texas has already moved to ban abortion in the state. While clinical abortions dropped by over half, it’s being reported that the number of abortions taking place only dropped by 7%, as women went to seek it out in other places. While many states have come forward and said that they will not ban abortion, it still adds extra difficulty to women who live in these states. 

     How worried should you be?

     Reader, I wish I could tell you. Some say that a draft was made because the votes to overturn have already been secured. Some say that we shouldn’t be worried at all. Women should not have to fight for equality. It takes two to tango, but women are the only ones who will suffer the physical, emotional and financial toll of being forced to have a child. Pregnancy can cause long-term irreversible effects and can even lead to death. There is also a proven loss of income for every child a woman has. 

     Men are frankly untouched by pregnancy, yet are the ones deciding whether or not women have the right to choose — and when you take away a woman’s right to choose to take on these risks, you have disadvantaged her because of her sex.

     If Roe v Wade is overturned you take away a woman’s control of her life, the control she would never question if she was a man. This draft also calls into question the legitimacy of our supreme court. Every justice swore to congress to not push an agenda, whether conservative or liberal. No justice is allowed to push an agenda, yet this is what is happening. We cannot have equality with a biased judicial system. The court should not make decisions based on the wants of less than half of America. There is a reason that some laws CAN NOT be given up to states’ rights. Slavery was banned and given to states’ rights and we saw what happened with that and no that is not a stretch. Landmark cases are landmark cases for a reason. 

     What can you do?

     Public opinion is a powerful thing. As you may have already seen, protests have sprung up around the country, mostly outside of the supreme court. If you cannot make these protests don’t worry, you have the power to vote in officials who can and will secure our rights to an abortion if Roe V Wade is overturned, as it will become the state’s right to decide. In the upcoming election, it is crucial to vote for who can secure these rights.

      If you do not feel these rights should be secured then know that you have no right to enforce your feelings and opinions on others. You may choose in your own situation, but you do not have the right to choose for someone else.   

     Banning abortion only bans safe abortion.