A draft of the Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked on May 4.  

Roe v. Wade refers to the lawsuit that was drafted in 1973 when the Supreme Court decided that abortion during the first trimester of pregnancy is a constitutional right in the United States. 

With Roe v. Wade potentially getting overturned, this means that states have the right to ban or heavily restrict abortion. Banning abortion not only takes away a constitutional right that a woman has, but it also shows the lack of power women hold when deciding what to do with their bodies.  

Woman have had to fight for the rights that they have today. We have had to fight for the right to decide what to do with our bodies. It is so disheartening and feels unwelcoming when men in government get to decide what I can and cannot do with my body.  

The overturning of Roe v. Wade will not stop abortions, it will only prevent people from having safe abortions. Roe v. Wade gives woman the opportunity to feel safe when they decide to make the hard decision to terminate a pregnancy. Woman in abortion banned states will now have to deal with the elevated risk of injury when preforming an at home or unsafe abortion. Why would someone take that away? How is it fair that woman cannot decide for themselves what they want done to their bodies? 

Abortion clinics are preparing for the increase of patients in search of having a legal abortion. If the ban passes in June, more than half of the states are likely to ban abortion. Thirteen of the states are called trigger bans, which will immediately outlaw abortion says Dakin Andone, a CNN reporter. States that border abortion banned states are stressed over the increase of travelers seeking to have a safe abortion. The governors from Illinois and New Mexico are welcoming woman to their states to be safe and use their constitutional right to a safe abortion.  

These states have already seen an influx in cases because of their positive views on abortion laws. A CNN reporter says that, “Illinois, of more than 46,000 abortions performed in 2020, more than 9,600 procedures served out-of-state residents, state Department of Public Health data show. Most of those — more than 6,500 — came from neighboring Missouri, which has just one abortion clinic.” 

What does the future look like without Roe v. Wade protecting woman? NPR states that a world without Roe v. Wade will put millions of women at risk. NPR states that a world without Roe v. Wade would mean that more than 20 states would restrict or ban abortion, there will be an increase of out of state patient care in places that allow safe abortion, women of color will further fear abortion restrictions, and there will be long term negative health effects. 

Although I do not ever see myself having an abortion, I would never think to take away the option for someone else. The mental process that someone would have to go through to decide to have an abortion is hard enough. But now the process can potentially be even more difficult for someone. A woman might have to pay for travel expenses to travel to a state where abortion is legal. Then, they deal with getting harassed while walking into an abortion clinic.  I wish that abortion would be seen as something that is helpful and protects woman, whereas the future is looking fatal and scary for women.  

As RBG said long ago “It is essential to woman’s equality with man that she be the decision maker, that her choice be controlling.”