June 2022 will forever live in infamy: nearly two years ago, the Supreme Court overturned the one nationwide law that protected women’s right to access an abortion, Roe v. Wade, and put that decision in the hands of the states. Over 50% of states currently have some form of limitation on abortion, NPR claims, and 14 states have a complete abortion ban, albeit with ‘limited exceptions.’ Since then, multiple court cases and protests have made headlines, and pro-choice and pro-life supporters have been at war. With an election year on the horizon, difficult topics such as this one are going to step back into the limelight.
State laws change almost constantly, so there’s no doubt that the parameters protecting or limiting abortion can always be altered, for better or for worse. While some states and counties will do their best to limit how many abortions are performed, there are loopholes. According to NPR, the abortion rate in the U.S. has actually increased since Roe v. Wade was overturned. This increase, it’s believed, is caused by telehealth-prescribed abortion medication, which is mailed directly to the patient’s home. Additionally, it isn’t illegal, thankfully, to cross state lines to have an abortion in most states, something a few individuals have opted to do when faced with the difficult decision and the limitations their state imposed.
These, no doubt, are facts that pro-choice supporters will not take lightly. As election time draws closer, we should expect to see protests both for and against telehealth and the process of crossing state lines for abortions.
As if they didn’t cause enough chaos by overturning Roe v. Wade, the Justices of the Supreme Court could give women’s rights another blow by peering into a couple more abortion-related topics. Access to abortion pills, hypothesized by NPR, could be restricted. Arguments regarding whether federal or state laws should be prioritized in emergencies have also surfaced.
Though arguments can be made regarding what direction the Supreme Court will go with these decisions, it’s still hard to tell. I remember learning about Roe v. Wade in school, with the clear message of its importance towards America’s history and women’s rights at the time. With the Justices having overturned Roe, and how argumentative society has become, discussing this is going to be more crucial, for both sides, than ever before.
