Abortion Rights – The Next Prohibition
Editor: Anita Newkirk Hackney
Abortion has been used as a political tool for American lawmakers since becoming law in 1973. Roe v. Wade has become an ornament that has been painted in two different mediums of thought: the ‘good’ and the ‘bad.’ Here’s an interesting question: are abortion rights the next Prohibition?
Answering this question is easy, but it’s hard to swallow such a horrific answer. Yes, it’s a possibility. For instance, in 2019, conservative state legislators banned most abortions. There was a total of 25 new abortion bans by the end of the year that were signed off as laws and enacted primarily in Southern and Midwestern states. If we’re not careful, we may lose the right to legal abortions. If that’s the case, we will probably experience what illegal abortions were like pre-Roe v. Wade.
For several decades, women didn’t have the rights to abortions as we do now. During those decades in US history, most states in the mid-1800’s had deemed this procedure unconstitutional. That didn’t stop women from getting one, even if it cost them their lives. For women who couldn’t afford to pay a doctor to get an illegal abortion, a wire coat hanger was one of the abortion tools used and that killed many.
The coat hanger, a twisted piece of wire was not only a symbol of dangerous abortions; it was a symbol of women’s inequality and suppression. Another key indicator of illegal abortions was the death toll. There were approximately 4,639 women who died from this illegal procedure from the 1930’s to the early 70’s. The saving grace for abortion rights was the case of Roe v. Wade, which allowed this procedure to be legal in the United States.
Roe v. Wade was passed by the Supreme Court in 1973, and permitted abortions to be legal in the United States. Although this was a ground-breaking achievement, it’s still facing challenges some lawmakers are trying to salvage for its citizens.
According to Domenico Montanaro from NPR:
“Three-quarters of Americans say they want to keep in place the landmark Supreme Court ruling, Roe v. Wade, that made abortion legal in the United States, but a strong majority would like to see restrictions on abortion rights [. . .]. [. . .] In fact, there’s a high level of dissatisfaction with abortion policy overall. Almost two-thirds of people said they were either somewhat or very dissatisfied, including 66% of those who self-identify as ‘pro-life’ and 62% of those who self-identify as ‘pro-choice.’”
Abortion is there for women when it’s needed. For instance, there are multiple situations where it may be warranted like rape, health issues (for mother or fetus), death of the mother, and for women who are unable to care for a child. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to get this procedure. It’s simply there if someone wants it or needs it. The decision to have an abortion is of one’s own free-will, but it’s not if that free-will is taken away.
According to Nora Ellmann from the Center of American Progress:
“[. . .] In 2020, there have been a number of important wins for abortion rights in the courts. In the U.S. Supreme Court, Louisiana’s unconstitutional admitting privileges law was struck down in June Medical Services v. Russo. In the lower courts, a federal district court in Maryland ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration must suspend enforcement of a medically unnecessary restriction on access to medical abortion until 30 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
“Also, in Maryland, a district court vacated and enjoined a Trump administration rule that would have required separate insurance payments for abortion care and all other health care for people insured by certain plans under the Affordable Care Act. And a district court struck down the state’s six-week ban, which would have banned abortion at a point before most people even know they are pregnant. Despite these important victories, the right to access abortion established in Roe v. Wade is still under attack.”
Who gets to dictate the rights of a woman’s body: the governmental body or the woman? It’s the government that decides these matters, which is biased because most government officials are men. It’s hard to believe women don’t get the option to choose, but a large group of men get to dictate those rights for them. To top it off, women also have to face religious sects and pro-lifers who want to spew their rhetoric on them for their decision to have an abortion. It seems like we’re still struggling with the discriminatory matters of race and gender.
Abortion is one of the topics that remains a part of our debating society during this global pandemic. If the government bans abortion, they are violating the US Constitution by acts of gender discrimination; but it will not stop women from getting the procedure. What’s your opinion? Let us know in the comments below.
