I really wish I could say I was surprised or didn't see this coming. But, I did. There has always been a war against women in this country (I know that sounds dramatic or harsh, but hear me out). I heard in Glennon Doyle's podcast a while back that the second that the government finds a group to hate more than women - they jump on it. Right now it is unborn babies. But it always goes back to gender.
I was 15 years old when I was raped. I am so grateful that I did not get pregnant. I am also grateful that if I did - I would have the opportunity to choose. Say I did keep the hypothetical pregnancy... I would always be reminded of my trauma and I would have been a teenage parent. Or the child would have sat in foster care (or privately adopted) until a home was able to take them.
I am at a loss. I don't understand how our country has made some steps towards equality and now is backtracking. I do not understand the reasoning for this being overturned. I read the 91 page release from the Supreme Court. There is no good reason mentioned aside from the argument that Abortion is not an issue in the constitution - which was written over 200 years ago. Super relevant. They were writing with feather pens back then and abortion wasn't even a concept, but go off Justice Alito. The draft mentions the Nation's "history and tradition" (which mind you... the Constitution was written by slaveowners) as well as the "scheme of ordered liberty". The definition of liberty is "the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views" - but the draft gives another definition by Abraham Lincoln and claims that liberty is the separation of protected rights vs. what should be imposed per the individual. The document then discusses how abortion is murder, argues the definition of liberty, cites common law, gestational timeframes...
My personal favorite arguments made in this document: is that we are free to think and say what we want, but not to act in how we want and that Roe v. Wade had a winner vs loser circumstance. So we can think and say one thing but the government feels the need to control women's bodies to the benefit of the man (?????). Annddd... Roe was a loser but Wade won and that disrupts the political process...further citing that this caused issues in other cases for the Supreme Court - based off of the infamous issue of setting precedent. Another one... is that law cannot determine the viability of a fetus - it is not one size fits all, per Justice Alito. Abortion could prevent a viable birth.
Let it be noted: A majority of US citizens are pro-choice. An argument within the document states that it allows State legislature to make determinations based on their own populations desires - it has never been about the "average" American's voice. But if a majority of the nation is in agreement with bodily autonomy - then why waste funding on extra state policies?
The bottom line: there are many reasons for abortion. Rape, incest, inability to care for a child financially, accidental pregnancy despite contraceptive use, harm to the Mother, not being ready for a child...etc...all of which are none of your damn business, politicians.
30 out of 50 states were against abortion prior to Roe V Wade passing, offering the opportunity for all women regardless of location to determine if they want to proceed with having the child. 13 states have already passed "trigger laws" that pair well with the overturn of Roe V Wade. The right to self-determination and bodily autonomy of women is being reversed. This is no longer guaranteed on a federal level" and left to the discretion of the state. This includes birth control and contraceptives. The federal protection to the right to reproductive rights will no longer be guaranteed and states will decide. In states that are pro-life - there could be criminal sanctions created against women who attempt or complete an abortion.
What this means - we are actively undoing progress. There are 18 states where abortion would be illegal almost immediately after the passing of this ruling. Since this document was released - a Senator stated that Rape was an opportunity for a woman, the various ways to punish someone who sought pregnancy have been discussed (jail time for murder - makes sense, right? even though the Criminal Justice system is chronically overcrowded and underfunded), men have been pretty damn quiet, and there is still the absence of PEOPLE WHO CAN BARE CHILDREN in a decision that impacts PEOPLE WHO HAVE A UTERUS.
This decision goes far beyond abortion. It also sets precedent for the government to overturn laws that positively impact *their* least favorite populations - including LGTBQ and POC communities. The right to gay marriage is extremely at risk. Gay marriage is not in the constitution, as we know, and the main argument in this draft is regarding the constitution and what it cites. THIS PRECEDENT (once overturned) HAS AN IMPACT ON ALL POLICIES PASSED ON THE STATE OR FEDERAL LEVEL IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING ROE V WADE. ALL RULINGS THAT CITE ROE V WADE COULD BE RE-EXAMINED.
The potential Roe V Wade decision directly impacts lower income communities, victims of domestic violence, and POC. This decision means that women who need abortions would need to travel out of state or potentially risk criminal charges. It is very difficult to up and leave if you do not have the financial resources. Victims of DV cannot always just leave the home for long periods without facing repercussion, and a forced child puts them at risk of harm long-term - even just attempting an abortion as is puts them at harm. POC receive generally lower quality medical care and are not listened to in many doctors offices, so this places their needs at risk further.
At present time: We are not funding social services adequately, the mental health system is chronically ill-equipped and not able to help all people who need it, we are not supporting the impoverished, the child welfare system is extremely overwhelmed and underfunded, we are overpopulated, global warming is a massive issue, over 400,000 kids sit in foster care either to age out, to be adopted, or to not have a permanent home, and there is little to no support for parents in a very basic sense.
Fast forward 10-ish years: These systems will be even more impacted. There will be children born into families where they are not wanted, the parent(s) are not prepared, poverty rates are skyrocketed, abuse and neglect is at a higher rate, more children will be in foster care in congregate care (ie group homes because there is not enough foster homes), and there are little to no formal supports for a majority of society. There is not a lot of recovery to be made from this.
The issue here is not "murder" of a sack of cells - if the issue was murder or the child that comes out of the pregnancy - they would focus more on the Criminal Justice system reprimanding cops who kill innocent People of Color, they would focus more on mental health treatment, focus more on funding social services, focus more on the mental health system, more on suicide rates, more on the LIVING children in foster care, focus more on affordable housing, focus more on climate change...the list goes on.
So now, my final statement on this: Keep your damn policies out of our bodies if you (Government) won't even support us as is. There is no doubt that the Supreme Court would never vote towards forced Vasectomies. So why the hell are we forcing a child to be born into a family that does not want them, a world that is not prepared to support them throughout life, or is being born into a circumstance that is not prepared to support a child?
***Pro Choice is ultimately the belief that people should have the opportunity to choose what happens to their body. Yes, there are circumstances where family could take the baby or where a teenage parent is successful, or a product of rape lives a happy beautiful life, etc. Yet just as the Supreme Court draft argues - law cannot determine the viability of a child and it is not one size fits all. As such, the situation of a pregnancy is not one size fits all and the individual should have the right to CHOOSE what happens to their body. This all comes down to the ability of one person to make choices for their body and future. You do not have to agree with it for yourself in order to agree that everyone has the right to self determination and bodily autonomy.
Also… this ruling will NOT stop abortion. It only stops safe abortions.
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