Over the past hundreds of years, the rights of women have been fought numerous times. Whether women could vote, own property, earn their own wages, or have the right to abortion has all been argued. Even now, women are still fighting for their own human rights regarding their bodies, specifically with their abortion rights. With Roe V. Wade now overturned women in many different states may lose access to abortion no matter the circumstance due to the ignorance of the Supreme Court.
To give insight into what it means to overturn Roe V. Wade, we need to understand what Roe V. Wade is. Roe V. Wade is a landmark Supreme Court case from 1973 that ruled abortions are legal nationwide. Before abortion was decriminalized everywhere, women who lived in states where abortion was not allowed were forced to keep the baby or had abortions performed in dark alleyways, black market clinics, and many other dangerous areas.
This connects to our world today because unfortunately on June 24th, 2022 the Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade. This now allows states to choose whether or not they will permit abortions. Roe V. Wade was overturned because 5 out of 9 Supreme Court Justices think abortion is killing a living baby. It is also based on the religious views that they follow as Catholics.
This enormous change in law has the ability to negatively impact many women’s lives. Women who are not prepared to support a child mentally and financially are put in a difficult situation. People argue that they could give the baby up for adoption, but what about the 9 months of having to carry the baby and the excruciating pain a woman has to go through during childbirth. Not only will life be horrible for the person who delivered the child but the child will be put into the corrupt foster care system the United States has set up. The U.S preaches about protecting children who can be the future of our nation but studies show 1 in 8 of every child in the foster care system is abused. Not only that, other studies show that 1 in 5 of every child in the foster care system ends up homeless, and 1 in 4 end up in the criminal justice system just 2 years after leaving the system.
To counter that argument people say “Well why have intercourse without protection or at all if you aren’t ready for a baby?”. I can’t say I completely disagree with that statement but what about all the women who didn’t choose to have intercourse? A statistic shows that 1 in every 5 women has experienced completed or attempted rape in their life. Should they have to face the consequences of other people’s actions? What about the women who go through an ectopic pregnancy? Should they lose their life along with the so-called baby?
Banning abortion won’t simply get rid of it, it will only make people do it secretly and in dangerous ways. So instead of just allowing a woman to get an abortion safely, people would rather have them do it in a dangerous way which can be fatal. This is a significant example that shows the world is moving backward, not forward.
There are so many different circumstances pregnant women could experience and the Supreme Court refuses to acknowledge them. That is why we as a nation have to act. Why should we allow people with outdated views control our lives and what we do with our bodies? This supposed land of the free does not live up to its name. Freedom of religion? That doesn’t exist in the eyes of the Supreme Court since everybody now has to follow what they believe.
I, only 14 years old, am someone who people overlook. I’m a naïve teenager and know nothing about the world. I can’t vote, work, drink, or drive so why should people listen to me? This world is my future. In the next 30 years, the majority of the people who control this nation will most likely be dead or retired. That leaves the world in my hands and in the hands of the “naïve teenagers”. That is why I want to make a change now. I don’t want to live in a place where I can’t follow what I believe or be who I want to be. My future and the future of the next leaders of the world are in the hands of the adults of the nation.
The next time you vote for Mayor, Congressman, Senator, or even the President, think about who will really work in the best interests of all the people and not just those born into privilege. Who wants America to live up to its name as the land of the free with the freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition? Every vote counts.
Natalie Huerta – Lane Tech College Prep High School – DMSF Class of 2026
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