You may ask yourself, How does or could the effects of Roe v. Wade being overturned affect me? Here’s why. “Roe v. Wade was a landmark legal decision issued on January 22, 1973, in which the U.S. supreme court struck down a Texas statute banning abortion, effectively legalizing the procedure across the United States.” “The court held that woman’s right to an abortion was implicit in the right to privacy protected by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution. Prior to Roe v. Wade, abortion had been  illegal throughout the country since the late 19th century.”

Why should people actually care about Roe v. Wade law and all it could do to people?

Betty Gilbertson, a junior from SPASH high school says “With the banning of abortion and other things in many different ways. It’s going to create a bad environment for women and many other generations as well. This law goes after many different groups of people that could lose their rights. It’s going to evolve into an unsafe environment for everyone, it’s not going to be the land of the free, It’s going to be the land of selective rights.,” Many different laws are now being put up after Roe v. Wade was overturned this summer, which has caused major outrage with many people in the United States. This caused protests in the streets and riots at night because they took away a right from us. Jordyn Swope, another junior from SPASH high school says “This might not be the only thing they could overturn, this could lead to many other rights being taken away from us. They are already trying to take away indigenous rights after Roe v. Wade. They are also going after LGBTQ+ rights as well.”. They aren’t just going after abortion rights but they are also going after indigenous rights along with LGBTQ+ rights as well, they will be targeting even more people if this doesn’t stop. Many people’s lives are going to change because of these laws, they could lose multiple things as well. Life might never be the same for so many people because of these laws that shouldn’t have been placed or overturned. Overturning the law was not the right thing to do and adding more laws on top of that one isn’t the right thing to do either. These laws could cause more and more trauma over time, beginning with protests until they become violent riots that should have never been happening in the first place. “While Roe decision alone is far from enough to guarantee equitable abortion access for all people, it is still a crucial safeguard and the foundation on which to build a future where all people can get the compassionate, timely and affordable abortion care they need, want and deserve.” (Why this anniversary of Roe v. Wade matters so much: Reflections from Guttmacher Experts, Herminia Palacio. Harvard Kennedy School.)

How do you feel about the Roe v. Wade law being overturned this summer?

Many people are upset about this law being overturned this summer for many reasons, it is taking away abortions from people that actually need them, it is separating married LGBTQ+ couples and it is also separating married interracial couples. This law being overturned by itself is causing so many problems and issues with so many people all across the United States. “Today, 49 years after Roe v. Wade was decided, we are facing an unparalleled threat to reproductive freedom and justice in the United States. My thoughts are also with abortion providers, who do their best every day to offer compassionate, high-quality care in the face of political hostility, relentless harassment, and threats to their own safety and well-being.” (Herminia Palacio). Lives are being threatened just because of this law, abortion providers were faced with death threats and so many others as well just from people that don’t agree with having an abortion. Yet they think that it is okay to harass and send death threats to people that are trying to get an abortion, to people that are abortion providers, and to people that are just trying to keep everyone safe. These decisions could be life or death for either the mother of the baby or for the baby or even for both but people don’t see that, they just think that an unborn fetus has more rights than the person that is actually carrying it.  A junior from Spahs high school, “I’m pretty angry about it, it’s basically taking away women’s rights to what they can do with their own bodies. Sometimes it’s best to not have kids, many people struggle with it. I think there should be an option to get rid of the child if needed.”. This law is taking away the right for women to do what they want to their own bodies. It is sometimes the best idea to actually get rid of the unborn fetus for both the mother’s future and the child’s future as well, the mother might not be ready to have the baby or she could have health issues that would end up being the matter of life or death with her or the unborn fetus. Here’s another quote from a junior from SPASH high school, “I feel afraid because of the reaction this could have on the future generations and the lack of care for the future generations. This is something that I didn’t know could happen at all. I’m really afraid for the next generations because it’s not just about abortion it is about sex ed and many other things that the future generations need.”. Many people are afraid and scared for the future, they don’t know what might happen. This could cause a lack of care for future generations, this law does take about sex ed and multiple other things that future generations actually need to learn. Without that information, it could cause dangerous things to happen along with life-risking things, death, and so many others. The future generations need to learn about this information along with more things that come from Roe v. Wade that are important, This information is very important for everyone to learn.

Do you think that overturning the law of Roe v. Wade was actually the right decision, yes or no and why?

 A junior from SPASH high school said “No, I don’t think this is the right direction, things should have taken place, I think there should have been more cautious, and other things that could have been done. They shouldn’t have overturned Roe v. Wade. They shouldn’t have outlawed it all but they should accept a few people, everyone has the right to choose.”. A lot of people do believe that overturning Roe v. Wade was the wrong thing and there should have been at least cautions or something else to happen before they actually banned it in almost every state in the U.S. With that there could be more issues at hand that we don’t know about because they overturned Roe v. Wade. Here is a quote from Erica Chenoweth, a professor of the First Amendment, From Harvard Kennedy School “Women with unintended pregnancies and births are at much greater risk of depression which is also associated with a significant decline in voting participation and sense of self-efficacy. And women who are unable to safely access abortion may die or become severely injured from medical complications or from intimate partner violence, The potential harm to people who are most adversely affected by these policies and their reduced ability to participate in civic action is an important reality that our society will need to address.”. I believe everything they said was true, society and everyone needs to address and believe that this reality that women face is important and real. A pregnant woman could die or become severely injured because of the baby that they are carrying. Without an abortion, they could struggle with depression and so many other things as well in their life. And without the act of Roe v. Wade, many women can’t have an abortion for their own safety. 

Overturning the act/law of Roe v. Wade has done a lot to many different people all across the United States, it took away the rights of many people, and abortion is outlawed and banned in multiple states. This law and act aren’t just about abortion but about so much more like women’s rights and many other things as well but many people don’t see that information. This overturning of Roe v. Wade could also cause a lot of danger for women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, people of color and so much more. Many lives could be lost because of the overturning of this law/act, a mother wanting an abortion but not being able to get it could cause internal injuries and could cause death to the mother of the child that they are carrying. Because of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, many lives are at risk and many people don’t even know that.