Summer '22 - Intro to American Government & Politics

    Recently there have been threats from the supreme court to overturn Roe v Wade. While some may think this is just a court case about abortion, Roe v Wade protects women's right to their own bodies, for the government interfering with women's right to choose was deemed unconstitutional. 

        Overturning Roe v Wade is not just taking away a woman's right to choose to have an abortion no matter the reason for not wanting to continue with the pregnancy. This is also eliminating women's ability to end a pregnancy that is medically dangerous. Banning abortions is limiting the aid that women can receive from doctors in case of a medical emergency without losing their license or being convicted of a crime. for example, if a woman has an atopic pregnancy, a pregnancy where the egg is fertilized in the fallopian tubes rather than the uterus, the mother and the baby would be at risk of dying unless the egg is removed. This would in turn end the pregnancy, but save the mother as well. Without the legal ability to interfere with the pregnancy, doctors will have to watch as a woman and her child would both die. Another example of this intervening with women's accessibility to health care is if a woman miscarries and the baby does not expel out of the body naturally, doctors prescribe "abortion pills" which allow the baby to be expelled out of the body safely. Without the ability of doctors to aid these women, the mother will die from septic due to the dead fetus staying in her uterus without help to get it out. Septic is an infection that spreads throughout the body and causes organ failure that results in death without proper treatment or removing the cause of the infection. From a legal standpoint, banning abortions will harm women from a societal perspective. If a woman unexpectedly miscarries, she could be charged with "attempted murder" or attempt an at-home abortion, even if she expected to plan to carry the baby to term. 

         With the government allowing for states to make their own laws and regulations on women's bodies, some states have even tried to strike down on birth control and contraceptives. These states are trying to pass bills that are criminalizing the use of IUDs, a form of birth control, or ban the use of plan B, a type of emergency contraceptive. This is forcing women into pregnancies, wanted or not, without the right to choose what is best for them and their bodies. The use of birth control for most women is not to be protection for pregnancies though. Women use birth control as medications for things such as PCOS, endometriosis, or to help regulate their periods. 

         Banning abortions is not just affecting all women, it is targeting women who have lower socioeconomic status, who are unable to afford another child, nor have the resources to travel to a safe location to access an abortion. Women of high socioeconomic status are able to afford more children even if they didn't want them or provide child care or the medical bills that come along with pregnancies. They have the resources to travel to somewhere else that allows for abortions if they truly were not ready for another child. 

         Lastly, the excuses of why abortions should be banned have been proven incorrect or unconstitutional. Many people explain how the Bible says that it is wrong and guilt women into continuing with the pregnancy. This is unconstitutional for we have separated church and state for decades, as well as it goes against America's first amendment right to freedom of religion. Not everyone is Christian nor do they believe in the Bible.

           Overall, banning abortions is not eliminating them from society completely. This is eliminating safe abortions, putting women's lives at risk every day, and taking away women's rights to autonomy and accessibility to health care.