Women's Rights and Lack Thereof
Anyone who has tuned into the news over the past few days is aware of the significant Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe v Wade. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled in the Roe v Wade trial that a person’s right to chose to get an abortion is upheld by the Constitution in the Due Process Clause and the 14th Amendment. The ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization to allow the right to abortion to be up to the states puts every woman and person capable of carrying a child in danger. This decision is detrimental for the rights of women or people capable of carrying a child. In a country with no universal healthcare, adequate mandated paid maternity leave, or free preschool, one is now forced to carry a fetus to term in certain states and is given no help to care for the baby by the state. Abortion bans will unfairly effect women in poverty who cannot afford to have a child nor travel to somewhere where she can have a safe abortion. Some states currently have no exceptions on abortions for pregnancies where both the baby and mother will certainly die without abortion, rape, or incest. This seriously invalidates female life, depicting that the unborn child is more important than a woman’s health. And while abortion effects all people with wombs and the ability to carry children, it is still a womens issue as we are whom these prejudicial laws target.
As a young woman, I am scared. This drastically affects my community and sets a precedent for the court to later take away more rights. Justice Thomas has already stated this overturning should lead the way for other decades-old ruling to be reexamined, like the right to contraceptives and same-sex marriage. Leaving these decisions up to the states as well will take away more of my rights as a woman living in a red state. I, nor a lot of college-aged women, do not plan on raising a child any time soon, but sexual assault and rape are still present on college campuses. The justice system has failed rape victims so many times, and it is scary to think that not only could that happen to myself or someone I am close to, but then one could be forced to carry a child. Overall, this ruling is just an example of how devalued women still are in society, and how we are often limited to our reproductive organs.
However, many people consider the ruling a win for protecting innocent lives, despite the fact there is no concrete definition for when human life begins, whether a conception, birth, or anywhere in between, no matter one’s opinion. I grew up very religious in a traditional Greek Orthodox household, so I am very familiar with how one’s religious views can affect their ideologies. I can understand that some people believe due to their religion that life begins at conception and thus believe abortion is ending a life. But such ideals should not be enforced on every American. Upheld by the 1st Amendment, the US has freedom of religion, so many can argue that state’s prohibiting abortion based on one religion violates the Constitution. Ironically, this is the Supreme Court’s designed function under judicial review. Some people believe, regardless of their opinion on abortion, that states should have the power to decide. This argument is very reminiscent of the argument for slavery. Many people used to believe that since some state’s economies were dependent on slavery, and since every state has its own citizens with similar environments who may believe something different from the citizens of states across the country, slavery should have been left up to the states. Both this argument and the current argument for states to decide their own laws on abortion ignore the fact that human rights are at risk. Both civil rights and women's rights should be upheld by the federal government to prevent certain states from harming quality of life based on party politics or outside agendas.
It is very rare for the courts to go back on a previous decision, as precedent is held in high regard among justices. Following precedent has previously been important to keep the courts legitimate in the public’s eyes, and since the decision to overturn Roe v Wade, many citizens nor longer respect the Supreme Court. A seemingly simple solution to a ban on abortions is for one to not put themselves in a position to get an abortion. Practicing safe sex with contraceptives, waiting to engage in sexual activities until marriage, a committed relationship, or when one is in a position to fiscally and emotionally care for a child, or giving a child up for adoption may seem like a good alternative to abortion. But all of these so-called solutions have been disproven to be efficient. “Safe sex” is not fullproof, and with current discussions about banning contraceptives, this may not even be a viable option for very long. Simply not engaging is sexual activities is against human nature and absurd place all abstinence on women. Some women do not choose to engage, but may be forced to which could still result in a pregnancy. Lastly, the foster and adoption system in America is abysmal, and again with current discussions and even current limitations in place make it near impossible for anyone other that two married heterosexual people to adopt. A quite radical solution to the problems the Supreme Court has caused is to reorganize the construction of the Supreme Court. We could make it so justices are elected by the popular vote of the population, widen the number of justices sitting, and add an age limit or term limit for justices.