The Aftermath of the Overturning of Roe v. Wade
It’s been three months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a landmark case where the Supreme Court ruled that being able to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy was part of the “fundamental right to privacy” the Constitution provides. The decision of whether or not abortions are legal is now up to the states, and many have already begun to ban or heavily restrict access to abortions. Several politicians have spoken out and shared their opinions, while others have stayed silent on the matter.
Senator Lindsay Graham, a Republican Senator from South Carolina, proposed a federal law that would ban most abortions after 15 weeks. However, the bill has a low chance of passing as of now due to the Democrats holding the majority in Congress. Many people have criticized this bill, with President Biden saying “Think about what these guys are talking about. No exceptions—rape, incest—no exceptions, regardless of age.” He also added, “I happen to be a practicing Roman Catholic. My church doesn’t even make that argument now.”
With midterm elections coming up in November, many Republicans—especially those with tough races this fall—are dodging discussion around the issue and avoiding showing outright support for Graham’s bill. “I think most of the members of my conference prefer that this be dealt with at the state level,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said.
Avoiding the discussion is an attempt at avoiding backlash during the midterms. According to a recent poll, a majority of Americans think that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. The poll, conducted by The 19th—a nonprofit, independent news organization—also found that seven in ten Americans don’t think lawmakers are “informed enough” about medical procedures and therefore are not qualified to “create fair policies”.
Meanwhile, Democrats are placing a focus on abortion as midterms get closer, having spent a combined total of nearly $18 million to air abortion ads on TV. A common message in the ads is that Republicans wish to put a federal abortion ban in place and would not make exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or if the mother’s life is at risk. They are hoping to appeal to voters with their contrasting messages about protecting abortion rights.
A Pima County judge ruled that Arizona is able to enforce a near total ban of abortion, prompting a woman who recently got one of the last legal abortions in the state to share her story. She had previously gone through two difficult births and when her birth control failed, she decided to get an abortion instead of keeping the baby. She decided that potentially losing her own life and not being able to be there for her other two sons was not worth the risk. “All I see is a group of people—men, mostly—making a decision for all of us women when they have not one idea what it is like to be in our shoes”, she said, adding that she was “very angry.”
As of right now, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin have issued all or near all bans. Meanwhile other states, including Massachusetts, have passed legislation that protects abortion rights.
To learn more about abortion laws by state, visit the Center for Reproductive Rights.
All information is as of October 13th, 2022.
by ELISSA FAN