In 1973, the landmark Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade gave women the right to an abortion based on the right to privacy. Yet the struggle to fully attain women’s reproductive rights in the United States has persisted for more than forty years. And recent patterns in new legislation only point towards continued struggle for abortion rights.
Republican representatives in a number of states have passed or are attempting to pass new laws concerning women’s reproductive rights in an effort to chip away at Roe v. Wade. At the end of March, Alabama legislation announced that abortions taking place during any stage of a woman’s pregnancy is a crime, with the only exception being if the mother’s health was at risk. However, Alabama is only the one of many recent states to pass a new abortion law. Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina have all passed legislation that ban abortions when a heartbeat is first detected, as early as six weeks in. Unlike many other states, whose abortion laws seek to limit abortions, Alabama’s law, titled HB314 is a ban on all abortions, including those induced by prescription drugs. All abortions committed, even those against rape or incest in Alabama is seen as a crime. The goal of the implementation of these laws is to get up to the Supreme Court and overturn Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in 1973, said Rep. Terri Collins, a Republican from Alabama. With the addition of conservative Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, this pattern of new legislation against women’s reproductive rights are not coincidences, with Republicans knowing that they have a chance to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision on abortions with their majority in the current court. The bill has more than 60 cosponsors out of the 105 members in the Alabama House of Representatives. Staci Fox, the CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast acknowledges this Republican agenda, and calls the bill “a death sentence for women across the state”.
Roe v. Wade is a case often featured in documentaries, cited in books and tested on in my Government and Politics class. But the legacy that this case holds is in danger today. What I had originally perceived as a piece of legislation that signaled that our country was moving in the right direction towards equal rights is now threatened by the possibility that abortion rights for women across the country can taken away, reversing the progress I thought we had. Turn on any news station or scroll through social media and the absence of these new restrictive laws are nowhere to be found. The lack of attention in the media and public on this issue will only perpetuate the complacency of many towards losing Roe v. Wade. The rights of women have not been fully granted over time, but have proven to been a continuous fight. During the 1970s, many saw the decision of Roe v. Wade as having come too soon because of the immense controversy and backlash it had stirred up. But over forty years later, our society still finds this issue as complicated and the notion that women should have control over their own bodies and actions is still not regarded and a serious one. Yes, this may be a pessimistic view on our society today, but it is our reality. Organizations, publications and advocates, and each and everyone of us, need to spread awareness and education on this issue—to end this struggle that has gone on and fought over for too long.
