Photo courtesy of Claire Anderson, Unsplash.
Roe v. Wade and the topic of abortion have made their way back into the Surpeme Court. Judges are weighing their opinions on the Mississippi law that, if overturned, would restrict access to abortion in almost half of the United States. It’s a controversial issue, with Democrats and Republicans battling it out in the Supreme Court.
If the Supreme Court were to reverse the 1973 court case, exactly 22 states from the Midwest and South would criminalize most forms of abortion, according to the New York Times. This ruling would leave women in those states to either cross state lines into places where this procedure is legal, or to find different ways of terminating their pregnancies on their own, which can be extremely dangerous.
The Supreme Court has an overwhelming 6-3 conservative majority, as former President Trump appointed justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett, who seem to be the deciding factors in the decision. This conclusion could come as soon as early 2022, after months of judiciary statements between the judges in the chambers, according to CNN.
Hailey Bedell, a sophomore psychology major, is for abortion, but only up until a certain stage in the pregnancy. “Women should have the choice to do what they want with their body, especially those who do not have the finances to raise a child. But, I also think once it gets to a certain point in the term, it’s not okay.” Bedell brings up a long lasting debate as to when in the term are abortions acceptable.
“States should be able to either ban it or have it. It’s a states’ rights matter,” said Lucas Martezo, a sophomore sociology major. “Not a select nine people in a chamber”.
The case originally stemmed from Texas’ abortion law and “Jane Roe” filing a lawsuit against district attorney Henry Wade. However, it’s become much bigger than states’ rights, and will stay that way for the foreseeable future.
Abortion is a delicate and controversial subject. It undeniably must be handled with care and sufficient research. Those with a lack of relevant knowledge may not understand either side of the matter. However, I find myself completely against a position that has a significant amount of religious rhetoric behind it.
With the role that Christianity has played in the forming of this country and its long history, one would think that I’d be more conceding to the stance pro-life people take and why they take it. Nonetheless, it’s difficult to back the opinions of those who are attempting to spread Christian ideals.
After all the things that go into the controversiality of such a topic, whether it be social class, sexual foul-play or morality itself, the idea of banning abortion for the sole purpose of serving a higher power seems skewed.
Women who live in these 22 states — states that have a significant lower class, to add — and don’t have the capacity to raise children will have to travel elsewhere or find new ways to do it without medical help, which could also potentially harm themselves.
With the overturning of this law, we could see a barrage of problems arise for those who don’t yet feel ready for parenthood. The main reason for our ongoing debate is strictly religious, and it’s not worth changing anything judicially over.
This decision should not be skewed by religion. Have we taken the idea, “In God We Trust” a little too seriously?
alamatt1@ramapo.edu
