Nulling of landmark decision alarms many

RCS students not happy about loss of Roe

By Angie Hund | Manor Ink

Hollywood drama, cultural shocks and new fascist policies have rocked our country over the past 12 months. The year 2022 was eventful for a number of reasons. What generally comes to mind when thinking about it is the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial, the war in Ukraine, the House select committee’s January 6 hearings and the World Cup. But arguably one of the most impactful events to take place this year is the overturning of Roe v. Wade. June 24, 2022, is now established as the day in history when the landmark abortion rights decision was overturned in the US Supreme Court. Defined by a conservative majority on the court, this day resulted in millions of women losing their reproductive rights.

What was Roe v. Wade?

Roe v. Wade was a lawsuit in 1973 that brought abortion rights to the Supreme Court for trial, in which the justices ruled that a woman’s right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy as protected by the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

The case began when Norma McCorvey, known as Jane Roe, filed a lawsuit on behalf of herself and other women to challenge Texas’ restrictive abortion laws. As an unmarried pregnant woman who grew up in impoverished circumstances, McCorvey knew she couldn’t create a nurturing environment for an unwanted child. After seeking illegal abortion care and unsuccessfully attempting to get the procedure, she was directed to Texas attorneys Linda Coffee and Sarah Weddington. These two women were crucial in establishing Roe v. Wade as law, aiming to legalize abortion and defy Texas law. Later, a Texas doctor joined her lawsuit, claiming that the state’s abortion laws were too non-specific for doctors to abide by. On Jan. 22, 1973, the Supreme Court voted seven to two to legalize abortion in Texas, making it legal nationally.

In the final ruling of Roe v. Wade, the court decided two things. The Constitution provides a fundamental “right to privacy” that protects a person’s right to choose an abortion. The right to abortion must also be balanced against the government’s interests in protecting the woman’s health and prenatal life.

Only a month prior to Roe being overturned, a leak of the draft of the court’s decision was published by Politico, informing the public that the Supreme Court planned to overturn the right to abortion. This draft consisted of a majority opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito striking down Roe v. Wade. The five justices comprising the decision’s majority would be Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett, which was later proven true. The final draft predicted America’s soon-to-be future status of abortion rights.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that promotes reproductive health, the estimated number of illegal abortions in the 1950s and 1960s across the United States ranged from 200,000 to 1.2 million annually. A majority of our generation believes this repeal of abortion rights will inevitably lead to a return to illegal procedures and the deaths of more American women. Fearing this likely outcome, Americans took to the streets to protest against the court’s ruling. A clear majority of the country’s population disagrees with the decision with 62 percent believing abortion should remain legal. A survey conducted by Pew Research Center concluded that about eight-in-ten Democrats disapprove of the court’s decision, while most Republicans favor the court’s ruling, with 48 percent strongly approving of it.

Polling RCS students and staff

Inspired by research done by Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll, I decided to conduct a survey at my school. I asked students and teachers at Roscoe Central School for their opinions on abortion and the overturning of Roe v. Wade. While getting vulnerable and sincere with my peers and staff, I discovered that Roscoe may not be as conservative as I thought. From my data, I discovered that a majority of those I surveyed in school is pro-choice or undecided on the topic. Over half of the responses were on the pro-choice side.

Following that, I asked, “In what instance do you believe abortion is necessary?” Almost all the respondents, regardless of their stance on abortion, believe the procedure is necessary in cases of incest, rape and the health of the mother.

I received an interesting response when I questioned the morality of abortion in my survey. After questioning, I found 5 in 10 people believe abortion is immoral. Another question I included was, “Do you know someone who’s had an abortion procedure?” Every single person answered yes. Everyone knows someone who has sought abortion care. This only proves how abortion restrictions affect everyone in one way or another.

The vast majority of my peers agree that banning abortions nationally won’t stop abortions from happening. With that, some argue that the fewer opportunities there are to get an abortion, the less likely they are to happen. Others disagree, saying restricting abortions will only lead to fewer safe ones – “back alley” abortions, unsafe at-home abortion methods and suicide.

Eroding women’s rights

On that early summer morning, I woke up to notifications scattered across social media announcing that Roe v. Wade had been overturned the night before. The policy that protected so many American women was repealed by our Supreme Court. Throughout the day, I felt remorseful, thinking about the less fortunate women in the country who won’t have full access to their reproductive rights in red states.

It was abundantly clear to me that red states would be quick to implement trigger bans on abortion as soon as they could. My sympathy went out to those who don’t live in progressive regions that guarantee them protection. It was a time of grieving for women across the nation. Not only did we blame our leaders and our politicians for not protecting us, but we blame ourselves. Wondering if we could’ve done more to protect our reproductive rights from the newly conservative court, we sat in denial and dread. For me, it was hard to congratulate the graduating class of 2022 when I knew this was possibly the start of women’s rights being eroded. Since then Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have completely banned abortion with few exceptions.

With this shocking verdict, many celebrities shared their thoughts and opinions on the ruling. Activist stars like Lizzo and Billie Eilish are a few of the personalities who have advocated for the cause and have donated to organizations in the past. One of my favorite singers, Phoebe Bridgers, shared her personal experience with abortion and expressed the importance of young pro-choice women getting involved in the issue. Other celebrities such as Sophie Turner, Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Olivia Rodrigo have shared resources on their social media.

In 2022, a majority of women are distressed by the loss of their rights, now living in a nation that no longer supports their right to choose. Instances in this country have led many to give up hope politically. How could such a proud nation allow such a violation of one’s rights? Knowing what I know now, I wish we could have warned past generations about the real possibility that such a thing could happen.

Although we’ve experienced many unfortunate governmental actions in recent years, I only hope that these obstacles have motivated my generation to continue fighting for change. We need to focus on spreading awareness of reproductive rights, as well as issues regarding race and gender.