By Simran Cheema
In 1973, we had Roe vs. Wade case. Roe was a pregnant woman, this pregnancy was the result of an her unfortunate rape. But, in Texas, they banned abortions considering them a sin and unconstitutional. Roe brought this to the court, stating she wanted an abortion as it wasn’t her fault it happened, the pregnancy was forced upon her by the rape. Then, the supreme court argued the state should not be able to decide whether or not a woman has the right to an abortion, as it infringes on their privacy. The case had a trimester system, where a woman could ask for an abortion at any time during her first trimester. Although undergoing an abortion at the second/third trimester is dependent upon the doctor and the state.
Nevertheless, the case was once again brought back into the hands of the Supreme Court. Although, this time the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of bringing abortion rights back to the level of the state. They decide whether the women in the state can undergo an abortion. And, as expected, around half of the states in the US are planning to ban abortion rights for women. It was obvious why this was going to happen, there were already restrictions placed on women. In fact, women weren’t allowed to use their federal funds for an abortion unless it was for a medical reason in 1980. In 1989, the supreme court declared that states could determine whether abortion could be performed at their medical clinics or by the state employees. The biggest impact yet was in the case of Planned Parenthood vs. Casey in 1992 where they could place restrictions on abortions even in the first trimester for non-medical reasons. Some women would have to involve a judge or parents, including wait periods in abortion clinics between the first visit and the abortion procedure.
With these overruling or Roe vs. Wade, women are now to spend more money and have a harder time finding the right resources to make their decision about their own body. Many states are planning to provide limited access to abortion, only allowing those who medically need an abortion to save their own life. Other states are planning to ban abortion after 6 weeks or more. In all, women will be having less access to the rights of their own body. Most will have to go to another state, making it more difficult and costly to afford an abortion, especially for those in the south.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-61804777
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54513499