The ultimate decision to overturn Roe versus Wade in June 24, 2022 has placed large implications on an even larger demographic. Statistics from Pew Research Center reveal that 61% of Americans say that abortion should be illegal. So, if the majority of the population is in favor of providing abortions to women who deem it necessary, why are many states choosing to criminalize it? This is a matter of being fed misinformation and the twisting of words that “coincidentally” fit a single political tribalization’s ideals.
Generally speaking, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), consisting of nine justices, were the determining factor for sparking the overturning. The vote ended up being 6-3, the six representing the justices in favor of overturning Roe versus Wade. Interestingly enough, three of those six Republicans were appointed by Trump during his presidency.
I feel as though this argument goes beyond what political party one chooses to support; it is a matter of oppression and unjust treatment towards women. It is nonsensical why these six Republicans, people who can either not biologically carry a child or have reached an age beyond reproduction, are carrying the fate for half of the American population.
In debates that argue about “pro-life” versus “pro-choice,” I often see that the values aligned with “pro-choice” are misconstrued by those who are undeniably against abortions. “Pro-choice” is not necessarily pro-abortion, which is an argument I read about frequently. Pro-choice is giving women the bodily autonomy and choice in choosing whether they want to carry out their pregnancy or get an abortion. Pro-abortion presents the argument that all women should get an abortion, just as pro-life argues that no women should get an abortion. The issue with pro-life idealists is that they either fail to understand a women’s situation or disregard her needs whatsoever. They paint a picture that all lives matter and are placed on an equal scale; for one, this argument does not make sense because why would a woman’s life be placed on the same scale, if not less, than an unborn fetus’s.
Last year, a ten year old girl was sexually assaulted and raped by an older man in Ohio, a red state. This child was denied an abortion and was later forced to travel out of state to receive proper care. Unfortunately, this case is not a new one. How do people expect a literal child to fend for another person, let alone her own self? As a ten-year old girl, she is still learning division and multiplication, and people think that she is in the right state to care for another child? Make that make sense. The same argument could be made about women who are not in the right economic state to take care of another child. Inflation is real, and life is difficult. Women deserve their own autonomy and be able to make the choices that affect their body and life.
Furthermore, by overturning Roe versus Wade, abortions are not eliminated altogether. In fact, this just ensures that women are no longer allowed to have safe abortions. We as a society should know that criminalizing something does not make it go away.
The American Times 