Women’s Rights Up For Debate With Newly Overturned Abortion Law In The U.S.

After almost 50 years, women’s rights are changed, but this time as a step back.

January 22, 1973, a woman’s right to have an abortion was legalized in the case of Roe vs. Wade. The United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of denying the proposed illegalization of abortion in Texas with a 7-2 vote. With this, abortion was made legal across the country. The Supreme court believed that women had the right to abortion under the 14th amendment, which protects privacy.

In 2022, nearly 50 years after this case, a significant change happened: Trump-appointed justices overturned Roe vs. Wade, which meant abortion was no longer legal. The Court stated that women no longer have the right to choose what’s best for their bodies. The overturning of the law happened because the State of Mississippi wanted to bring back a law that would make abortions illegal after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, it got denied by a lower court, which the nation’s highest Court successfully affirmed in their appeal.

The Court now believes that the constitution and the 14th amendment have no influence or connection to the right to abortion. People worldwide are voicing their opinions on what happened this past week. Protests have been sweeping the US nation, and the topic of abortion continues to trend on all social media platforms.

A trigger ban has been put in action for 13 states in the United States. A trigger ban means prohibitions on abortions will go into effect at the state’s discretion. Each state will have different penalizations and exceptions to the new ban.

Many politicians have voiced their opinions on this case. The former President of the United States, Donald Trump, has said this was a win for the conservative people of the US, and other Republican representatives have said this is a step in the right direction. Some even stated that the mistake of legalizing abortion 50 years ago was finally corrected.

However, many people are troubled and frustrated with this outcome. Some states, such s California and Washington, remain unwavering in the belief that abortion should remain legal.

In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker has taken to social media to confirm his support for protecting abortion rights. After the announcement of the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, Charlie Baker signed an executive order that would continue and strengthen reproductive rights in the state of Massachusetts.

This past week has set back women’s rights that have taken decades to secure. With abortion illegal in many states, there will be many things to come from this. Many Planned Parenthood and abortion clinics have shut down or closed in the past few days. This will cause women needing help to look either somewhere dangerous or out of state. The decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade has no exception for rape on incest. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade has shown how split the United States is on the freedom of one’s own body.