On June 24, the Supreme Court ruled to overturn Roe V. Wade, a decision that ends almost 50 years of federally protected abortion rights in the United States.
Image Credit: Mark Peterson / Redux
What is Roe V. Wade?
Roe V. Wade was a landmark ruling in 1973, which gave women the right to choose to have an abortion in any U.S state without government interference. The decision had overruled numerous U.S federal and state abortion laws.
Supreme Court Revokes Roe V. Wade
The Supreme Court in a 6-to-3 majority ruling, made the decision to end the nationwide constitutional access to an abortion. Instead, independent states in America will now have the right to ban or enable abortion. It is reported by CNN that, “nearly half of the states have or will pass laws that ban abortion while others have enacted strict measures regulating the procedure.” In addition, 13 states have trigger-laws, meaning that abortion rights will be restricted within 30 days.
Justice Samuel Alito delivered the majority opinion and wrote, “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
This ruling was made possible as SCOTUS is made up of a conservative majority with six justices, three of which are Donald Trump’s nominees.
What happens now?
This decision has overwhelmingly adverse effects. In particular, the ruling will negatively impact millions of women residing in the United States and their reproductive health. The number of abortions will fall, and experts note this will lead to negative effects on families’ finances and harmful health effects for women carrying pregnancies to term. Also, this decision significantly harms people of colour, those in poverty, and the LGTBQ+ community.
In a statement following SCOTUS’ decision, former First Lady Michelle Obama wrote, “This horrifying decision will have devastating consequences, and it must be a wake-up call, especially to the young people who will bear its burden. I know this is not the future you chose for your generation — but if you give up now, you will inherit a country that does not resemble you or any of the values you believe in.”
Image Credit: Michelle Obama / Twitter
Former U.S President Barack Obama also shared his thoughts, “Today, the Supreme Court not only reversed nearly 50 years of precedent, it relegated the most intensely personal decision someone can make to the whims of politicians and ideologues—attacking the essential freedoms of millions of Americans.”
Published by HOLR Magazine.