On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade, the right for a women to under-go a safe and legal abortion, was overturned by the Supreme Court, leaving the legality of abortion in the hands of each state government. This decision left millions of women with the same limited rights to their own bodies as their great-grandmothers had. 

According to The New York Times, as of Sept. 18, 2022, abortion is still legal in 25 states; however, in 10 of those states, there is a limit on the amount of time a woman has to under-go an abortion. Some of these limitations only allow abortions for up to six weeks. This leaves very little time for a woman to even find out she is pregnant, let alone schedule an abortion. 

With the end of Roe v. Wade, far more was lost than just a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy: Women have lost the right to bodily autonomy. When people pass away, they have the right to decide beforehand whether or not they would like to donate their bodies to scientific research or donate their organs. If they say no, there are no questions asked, and it then becomes illegal to use their bodies after their death–no matter the circumstances. Now that women do not have the right to terminate a pregnancy at their discretion, a deceased individual has more say on what happens to their bodies than a woman who is pregnant. 

Lots of people who consider themselves “Pro-Life” base their position on religious teachings and believe that it is against the Bible to under-go an abortion. I myself am Catholic, and I personally would never have an abortion; however, not every woman in America is Catholic, and I refuse to believe that it is okay to impose my beliefs on another person, to take away the right of a safe abortion from women in America who do not follow my same religious beliefs. Religious freedom is part of our Constitution, so using it as a basis for a law telling someone what they should do is wrong. The beauty of being pro-choice is that the term is not telling someone that if they get pregnant they have to get an abortion; it is simply stating that they have the right to choose whether or not they would like to continue the pregnancy.

Another serious concern is now that abortion is illegal in half of the states across America, that now turns any miscarriage into a criminal investigation. According to Planned Parenthood Action, one out of four pregnancies ends in a miscarriage before 20 weeks, with many of those women not knowing they are pregnant prior to the miscarriage. In 2013, a woman named Purvi Patel from Indiana went into the emergency room due to excessive bleeding. She was around 24 weeks pregnant and the child was stillborn. Patel was arrested and accused of taking abortion pills, despite the toxicology reports showing no sign of these drugs in her system. Eventually, Patel was tried and sentenced to 20 years in prison due to two felony charges: feticide and allegedly inducing an abortion. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon situation. Other women who have faced similar situations to Patel include Marshae Jones, Katherine Dellis, Bei Bei Shuai and more. 

The numerous difficulties of a pregnancy is another significant argument for protecting abortion. These difficulties don’t  just occur during the time a woman is pregnant. These occur mentally and physically before, during and after birth. Pregnancy is a long, painful process, and not all bodies can take being under that amount of strain, especially teenagers. Children should not be forced to continue a pregnancy if they feel it is going to be traumatic on their body, or if it is going to be traumatic to their mental well-being. In my eyes, I see both of these situations as valid reasons to terminate a pregnancy; because it is not my body; however, my opinion should not even matter. I should not get to decide what happens to other people’s bodies. 

The option to terminate a pregnancy is especially important for teens. In Blair County, we are fortunate enough to have resources to help teen parents. There are programs all around the county, and we are lucky enough to have a free daycare located in the high school; however, this is not the same for most locations, especially in low-income areas. Without access to childcare, some teens will be forced to drop out of school to raise the baby, causing issues with finding jobs now and down the road. According to Bank Rate, it costs around $286,000 to raise a child from birth to the age of 17 in 2022. Without proper education and a well-paying job, teen mothers will find it difficult to provide for their children. Income is not the only concern for pregnant teens either; some teenagers are simply not mature enough to raise a child. Adolescents cannot walk into an adoption center and adopt a child because they are considered “too immature” or “not financially stable” enough to raise a child, not to mention, a minor. But now, in 25 states, this logic is abandoned, and the teen will be forced to continue a pregnancy even in situations of rape and incest. 

Another common argument I am constantly hearing is people stating they are only pro-choice in cases of rape. Many of these claims are followed up with the statistic that only 1% of abortions result from rape cases, as quoted from an article written by the New York Times. However, upon a closer look at the article, it is evident that the statistic was taken in 1989, 33 years ago. I also don’t see this as a valid argument because I don’t believe that someone’s body should have to be violated for them to gain control over what happens to it. What people who use this statistic don’t understand is that not everyone reports a sexual assault. This can be for a variety of reasons, but lots fear that nobody will believe them or say they were “asking for it” due to the clothes they were wearing or situation they were in. 

Fortunately, there are plenty of organizations across America that dedicate their time to fighting for women and their right to choose, including Pro-Choice with Heart and Planned Parenthood. These organizations work to raise money and organize events, such as peaceful protests, to spread awareness on the need for access to legal abortion.