How will the Supreme Court Ruling on Roe V. Wade affect women in the future?
In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled that women have a constitutional right to obtain abortions. This landmark decision has dramatically altered American life and is about to change again. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court passed its ruling in Roe v Wade. It went on to strike down all state laws criminalizing or restricting abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Roe v. Wade was a milestone in the struggle for women’s health and equality. Before 1973, an estimated one million illegal abortions were performed each year. As a result, thousands of women died, and many others were injured. Today, 40 years after the Supreme Court ruled that women have the right to abortion on demand, abortion is still legal. But attempts to undermine Roe v Wade continue. Twenty-four states have passed laws prohibiting abortion after 20 weeks (when an unborn child can feel pain). Eleven states have passed laws banning abortions after six weeks when an ultrasound can first detect a fetal heartbeat.
The upcoming presidential election will determine whether Roe v Wade will be protected — or gutted. The next president will likely appoint one or more Supreme Court justices and other federal judges who could overturn Roe v Wade and outlaw abortion outright. Some state legislatures are already trying to restrict access to abortion, even for early pregnancies. The next president will likely nominate Supreme Court justices who could uphold these restrictive laws and tilt the court even further to the right.
If abortion is outlawed, women will still have a constitutional right to obtain an abortion. But with more than 40 state laws restricting abortion — and with Roe v Wade likely overturned — women will be left to find their way around these laws on their own or wait until they are in desperate situations.
