Roe v. Wade overturned: what this could mean for our future

This Supreme Court ruling is about to have a horrific impact on everyone

Let me explain

I woke up today to the sound of my dad crying. I got out of bed, walked to the kitchen and asked him what had happened. He looked me in the eyes and whispered simply, "They overturned Roe V. Wade."

His voice sounded beat, as if he had lost the courage to fight. He hadn't immigrated to the U.S. to give this kind of future to his three daughters. 

Overview

      Before we dive in, let me describe what Roe V. Wade is. (If you are already familiar, feel free to skip this section). In 1970, Jane Roe (a fake name utilized in the courtroom to shield the plaintiff’s identity) filed a lawsuit in opposition to Henry Wade, the district lawyer of Dallas County, Texas, in which she resided, challenging a Texas regulation making abortion unlawful. In her lawsuit, Roe alleged that the country legal guidelines have been unconstitutionally unclear and neglected her privacy, preserved by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments.

    The date of January 22, 1973 became of great importance. The Supreme Court released a 7–2 decision stating that the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the US Constitution gives a basic "right to privacy", which protects a pregnant woman's entitlement to an abortion.

    The Supreme Court's decision in this ruling became one of the most disputed in U.S. history. Politicians who opposed abortion and activists fought through the years to overrule the decision. Though critique of Roe continued, the Supreme Court confirmed its “central holding” in its 1992 settlement Planned Parenthood v. Casey. 

What does this mean for us?

The Supreme Court's ruling today overturns almost fifty years of the right to an abortion. Here's the breakdown: 

1) Women will be risking their lives to have an abortion elsewhere

The first and most obvious result is an influx of patients travelling to "abortion-safe areas." Already, women have begun travelling from states such as Texas to California, Colarado, etc. The result of this is not only a financial disaster and emotional trauma on these women and their families, but also increased crowding in these facilites: those who reside in the states already will have to wait longer to receive care.

2) Abortion bans will pressure women to stay pregnant, leading to increased death

    Data from the CDC states that the threat of dying because of pregnancy-related causes is 33 times higher than the risk of death from abortion. Risk of pregnancy-related death is 3x higher for non-Hispanic Black people. So, taking away their right to an abortion is forcing them to an even greater risk of death.

    According to Greer Donley, an assistant professor of law at the University of Pittsburgh Law School and an expert on reproductive health law, “It’s going to be total chaos.” 

In other words, this would lead to a 21% rise in deaths pregnancy related. Black women have it worse: they face a surge of 33%. With a national ban of abortion in place, 140 more women would die every year from issues relating to pregnancy.

3) The government in control of our bodies leads to increased high-school dropouts 

    Meaning? Girls and women alike will be forced to drop out of school earlier due to an unplanned pregnancy. Those so hopeful about their future will be forced to cut it short, and the life they had such high hopes of living would be gone. They would have to become a mother of a child they didn't want. Alongside them, the girl's parent would be watching her, and watching the future they had envisioned for their child fading, as quickly as it began.

    In addition, those forced to convey a pregnancy to term would have to endure childbirth and bringing kids up in a country with poor maternal care, no parental leave option, and generally unavailable childcare.

4) The foster care system is likely to become overwhelmed

    Unity Care Group CEO and founder, Andre Chapman, said, "...We’re going to see an increase of young folks that cannot take care of their kids, and where are those kids going to go? Often times those kids are going to end up in the foster care system." 

    He continued to point out that by 18 years old, as many as 20,000 people leave foster care each year, but they have no where to go. Poverty is expected to increase in the next decade because of this, along with homelessness. 

    Not only this, but also kids in foster care systems are generally unhappy. They are at a much higher risk than other kids of having delays in development, learning disabilites, obesity, asthma, behavioral issues, and depression. Additionally, they are more likely to have drug addiction than their non-foster care children counterparts. Unsurprisingly, they tend to have a higher rate of suicide as well. 

    (They say overturning Roe v. Wade is going to protect unborn children but what happens to them when they are born?)

5) Contraception access and gay marriage could be next. 

Pretty self-explanatory. Justice Thomas said earlier today, "Supreme Court should rethink precedents on contraception access and LGBTQ+ rights," from a statement from CNN. This suggests a slippery slope, in which abortion being declared unconstitutional is only the first in line of many negative actions occurring, due to the conservative majority in the Supreme Court. 

"Our rights? Consider them gone." -a protester today at the Supreme Court

Sources: 

Spector, David. “America Reacts to Supreme Court Overturning Roe v. Wade: Photos.” New York Post, New York Post, 25 June 2022, nypost.com/2022/06/24/supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-see-america-react/.

Bergeson, Samantha. “Hollywood Reacts to Roe v. Wade Overturn: 'Everybody Gets a Gun but Nobody Gets Bodily Autonomy'.” IndieWire, IndieWire, 24 June 2022, www.indiewire.com/2022/05/roe-v-wade-overturn-celebrities-react-abortion-1234721718/.

“{{Meta.pagetitle}}.” {{Meta.siteName}}, www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18.

Gill, Lisa L. “What Does the Overturn of Roe v. Wade Mean for You?” Consumer Reports, 24 June 2022, www.consumerreports.org/health-privacy/what-does-the-overturn-of-roe-v-wade-mean-for-you-a1957506408/.

“How the End of Roe v. Wade Could Shape Women's Futures.” CU Boulder Today, 6 May 2022, www.colorado.edu/today/2022/05/05/how-end-roe-v-wade-could-shape-womens-futures.

Dickason, Christine. “Roe v. Wade's Future Looks Bleak. What Does This Mean for Tennesseans?: Opinion.” The Tennessean, Nashville Tennessean, 23 May 2022, www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/2022/05/23/roe-v-wades-future-looks-bleak-what-does-mean-tennesseans/9893888002/.

Peters, LaMonica. “How Overturning Roe vs Wade May Impact the Foster Care System.” KTVU FOX 2, KTVU FOX 2, 17 May 2022, www.ktvu.com/news/how-overturning-roe-vs-wade-may-impact-the-foster-care-system.

PhD, Jennifer McBlaine, et al. “Reversing Roe v Wade and the Long-Term Negative Effects on Women, Babies, and the Foster Care System.” Kiss & Tell Magazine, 24 June 2022, www.kissandtellmagazine.com/health/foster-care-system-roe-v-wade/.

Czachor, Emily Mae. “Supreme Court Should Rethink Precedents on Contraception Access and LGBTQ+ Rights, Says Justice Thomas.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 25 June 2022, www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-roe-v-wade-abortion-contraception-lgbtq-marriage-clarence-thomas/.