The "Double Whammy" of the 2022 Roe v. Wade Decision
On June 24, 2022, the United States Supreme Court sparked uproars across America with its decision to overturn a 1973 landmark court case: Roe v. Wade.
In 1969, 25-year-old Norma McCorvey’s challenge to Texan criminal abortion law (due to alleged rape) was ruled as unconstitutional by a Texan state court due to the successful defense of the illegality of abortion by Dallas County district attorney, Henry Wade. Along with the case of Sandra Bensing (a Georgian woman), Ms. McCorvey’s case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled 7 to 2 that “governments lacked the power to prohibit abortions” and “a woman's right to terminate her pregnancy was protected by the US constitution” (BBC News). Today, Norma McCorvey is better known for her alias “Jane Roe”, thus resulting in the famous title: Roe v. Wade.
Despite the disapproval of 62% of Americans (and strong disapproval of 43%), the court’s recent decision to overturn a long-standing constitutional right has resulted in nationwide outrage. According to Pew Research Center, “The court’s decision to overturn Roe gives the states the authority to set their own abortion policies. These laws vary widely, and in several cases, state laws that prohibit or place tight restrictions on access to abortion are currently facing legal challenges.” This stately freedom has resulted in abortion bans in at least 14 states, states which have now publicly denied women a crucial health service and the right to their own bodies (New York Times).
But taking away female bodily rights isn’t the only thing the Supreme Court has managed to do. In fact, the termination of Roe is actually a double blow to affected women living in anti-abortion states. These states have severely unstable health and financial support for expecting mothers and their children. In an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, senior fellow of the Brookings Institution Stuart Butler says that this “means that there's going to be not only more hardship, but greater health problems and maternal deaths and so on ... unless there is a fundamental change in political behavior in those states."
Despite the disapproval of 62% of Americans (and strong disapproval of 43%), the court’s recent decision to overturn a long-standing constitutional right has resulted in nationwide outrage. According to Pew Research Center, “The court’s decision to overturn Roe gives the states the authority to set their own abortion policies. These laws vary widely, and in several cases, state laws that prohibit or place tight restrictions on access to abortion are currently facing legal challenges.” This stately freedom has resulted in abortion bans in at least 14 states, states which have now publicly denied women a crucial health service and the right to their own bodies (New York Times).
But taking away female bodily rights isn’t the only thing the Supreme Court has managed to do. In fact, the termination of Roe is actually a double blow to affected women living in anti-abortion states. These states have severely unstable health and financial support for expecting mothers and their children. In an interview with NPR’s Morning Edition, senior fellow of the Brookings Institution Stuart Butler says that this “means that there's going to be not only more hardship, but greater health problems and maternal deaths and so on ... unless there is a fundamental change in political behavior in those states."
Works Cited
“Majority in U.S. Disapprove of Supreme Court Abortion Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade.” Pew Research Center, 6 July 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/07/06/majority-of-public-disapproves-of-supreme-courts-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/. Accessed 2 October 2022.
Robbins, Katherine Gallagher, and Shawn Fremstad. “State Abortion Bans Will Harm Women and Families' Economic Security Across the US.” Center for American Progress, 25 August 2022, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/state-abortion-bans-will-harm-women-and-families-economic-security-across-the-us/. Accessed 2 October 2022.
“Roe v Wade: What is US Supreme Court ruling on abortion?” BBC, 24 June 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54513499. Accessed 2 October 2022.
“Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned.” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html. Accessed 2 October 2022.
Treisman, Rachel. “States with abortion bans also have worse health outcomes for moms and kids.” NPR, 18 August 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1111344810/abortion-ban-states-social-safety-net-health-outcomes. Accessed 2 October 2022.
“Majority in U.S. Disapprove of Supreme Court Abortion Decision Overturning Roe v. Wade.” Pew Research Center, 6 July 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/07/06/majority-of-public-disapproves-of-supreme-courts-decision-to-overturn-roe-v-wade/. Accessed 2 October 2022.
Robbins, Katherine Gallagher, and Shawn Fremstad. “State Abortion Bans Will Harm Women and Families' Economic Security Across the US.” Center for American Progress, 25 August 2022, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/state-abortion-bans-will-harm-women-and-families-economic-security-across-the-us/. Accessed 2 October 2022.
“Roe v Wade: What is US Supreme Court ruling on abortion?” BBC, 24 June 2022, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54513499. Accessed 2 October 2022.
“Tracking the States Where Abortion Is Now Banned.” The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html. Accessed 2 October 2022.
Treisman, Rachel. “States with abortion bans also have worse health outcomes for moms and kids.” NPR, 18 August 2022, https://www.npr.org/2022/08/18/1111344810/abortion-ban-states-social-safety-net-health-outcomes. Accessed 2 October 2022.