Image from Mark Peterson/REDUX and Vanity Fair.
Roe v Wade was a court case in 1973 about whether women have the right to an abortion, but in 2022 it was overturned in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, so now women can go to jail for abortions. But that’s where controversy comes in, because women who were sexually assaulted and ended up pregnant from it and want to get an abortion might go to jail for longer than the person who did the assault.
So in what way does that make sense?
The Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973, decriminalized abortion nationwide. It protected the right to access abortion legally all across the country, and freed many patients to access the care they needed when they needed it. They were able to get abortions legally without fear of prosecution or incrimination.
According to research done in 2022, on July 6, “More than twice as many women strongly disapprove of the court’s decision (47%) as strongly approve (21%). Opinion among men is more closely divided: 52% disapprove (37% strongly), while 47% approve (28% strongly). The court’s decision to overturn Roe gives the states the authority to set their own abortion policies.”
Even males disagree with the court’s ruling.
Women should have the right to an abortion, it’s their bodies. If women wanted to have an abortion for babies that were unwanted from sexual assault or unprotected intercourse, they should have the right to an abortion, but only to an extent because after a few months or so, the fetus is considered a baby.
In my opinion women should be able to choose if they want to have a child or not. Because some pregnancy can come from rape, and they can get pregnant from it at a young age, allowing young girls to get abortions is good for them, because they had someone assault them.
In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment protected abortion as a fundamental right. However, the government retained the power to regulate or restrict abortion access depending on the stage of pregnancy. Most definitely women should have the right to choose for themselves if they want a baby, but also, why abort a baby when you had intercourse with zero protection, knowing the risk? Having abortions for women who can’t afford a child or was from rape should be allowed, but for those who do it because of unprotected intercourse, they shouldn’t be allowed and if they follow through they should be imprisoned. Having these restrictions would help keep the abortion rate down, because women would keep the kids in fear of imprisonment or legal actions being taken against them.
In recent news President Biden has said he will veto any abortion ban that makes it to his desk, along with asking congress to restore the rights of Roe v. Wade.
Many members of congress have asked for the rights of Roe v. Wade to be returned. But the majority has voted against it. Many women have sent messages and letters to congress for the right they have fought for to be brought back, which I agree with because they put blood, sweat, and tears into their protests for women’s rights.
Tavin Montoya is a 2023 Washington High School senior. He grew up in Fremont, California but spent most of his time in Sonora on his grandfather's property. This will be his first year on the paper. Some of his journalistic interests are what seniors are up to, what the religious life in Fremont is like, or the political state of our country. Some of his hobbies are riding dirtbikes, being up in the mountains, or anything that allows him to get dirty. He currently works from time to time helping his dad at his daycare. Tavin plans to either go into carpentry or law enforcement.