Supreme Court Strikes Down Roe vs. Wade: What does this mean?
- Prisha
- Jun 25, 2022
- 2 min read
What: On June 24th, 2022, the supreme court struck down Roe vs. Wade. Roe vs. Wade was a landmark decision by the Supreme Court in 1973. To summarize, it stated that the right to abortion falls under the right to privacy; thus, individuals have the right to choose whether or not they get one. States cannot ban the right to have one. However, the court ruled yesterday that abortions are not a constitutional right and are no longer federally protected. Roe vs. Wade was overturned. A similar opinion was expressed in a draft leak earlier this year. Both of these events have caused public outrage and a series of protests.
What does this mean? States can now decide whether having an abortion is legal or not. Thirteen states have laws that go into effect immediately or very soon, namely: Idaho, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Texas, and Wyoming. This could ban abortions as early as six weeks after conception. Five additional states had abortion restrictions prior to Roe v. Wade that could be put back into place.
Which states are likely to protect abortion rights?* California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
Additional Concerns: Associate Justice Clarence Thomas stated that other landmark rulings should be reconsidered in the future. Some that are likely to be reconsidered are the rights to same-sex marriage, the right to interracial marriage, and the right to use contraceptives, as they are also granted under the 14th amendment. However, no other member or court agreed with him, and the court largely stressed that those rights were not issues.
What you can do:
- Donate to an abortion fund
- Stay informed and up to date
- Support organizations that advocate for reproductive rights
- Refer those looking for healthcare to reliable resources
*Some of these states are likely to protect abortion rights not upon request, but if the fetus or mother cannot survive childbirth.
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