Latticia Kerr
CRJ 200
Pro S. Margaryan
June 30, 2022
Roe v Wade Overturn by Supreme Court
The court’s decision to overturn this historic legal precedent is unthinkable and brings to an end almost fifty years of federal protections for abortion. Although the gravity of the ruling is yet to be felt, the immediate result of this decision is definite: the restriction of women’s liberties and their standing as equal and free citizens. Essentially, the choice to overturn Roe v Wade is problematic for millions of women who are likely to lose their fundamental constitutional protection to abort (Kendall & Bravin, 2022). From a legal point of view, this ruling also led to the overturning of Planned Parenthood v Casey, the 1992 judgment, which endorsed Roe and laid out what has been the governing legislation ever since.
According to Casey, the Constitution’s fourteenth amendment banned states from enforcing major limitations until fetal viability, approximately 23 weeks into gestation. The court’s decision means that mothers are not accorded the chance to choose whatever they want to do with their preborn kids. As such, the court incorrectly decided that a right to abortion was unconstitutional, thereby denying the citizens to have a voice in this very important decision (Kendall & Bravin, 2022). Putting the citizens’ rights in the hands of a few elected representatives implies that women’s economic gains Roe offered might be eroded and deprived of their rights to make health-care decisions.
What is more, the impact is likely to be devastating for colored and minority women, who may lack the time and funds to travel out of state for abortions. In a nutshell, this ruling is regressive and vindictive (Kendall & Bravin, 2022). There is a possibility that certain states will begin implementing criminal abortion restrictions, compelling individuals to travel across several state lines and, for those without funds to travel, carry their gestations to term, shaping their lives, wellbeing, and futures.
Reference
Kendall, B., & Bravin, J. (2022). Supreme Court Overturns Roe v. Wade, Eliminates Constitutional Right to Abortion. The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade-eliminates-constitutional-right-to-abortion-11656080124.
