On Jan. 22, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark case Roe v. Wade, ruling that a person’s right to an abortion was protected by the U.S. Constitution. 49 years later, in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Supreme Court overturned that ruling.
With Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court gave states the power to regulate abortions. Abortion will remain legal in 27 states.
While most people are opposed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade—which lines up with Pew Research Center’s data showing a majority of people believe abortion should be legal in most or all circumstances—there is still a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of abortion.
Regardless of their opinions on abortion, 57% of U.S. adults would agree that the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization was more about politics than the law.
Sisters Judy Carter and Denise Morris both fall into that category.
Carter, who describes herself as “pro-choice, but believes in personal responsibility,” is disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision and says that “the Supreme Court has become political; it’s no longer about the Constitution.”
Morris, on the other hand, sees abortion as “a brutal and barbaric practice” and agrees with the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. In her eyes, the nation started “descending backward when ‘legal, safe, and rare’ evolved into ‘my body, my choice, for any reason.’
For as many opinions of what the Supreme Court should have decided, there are twice as many about what should be done going forward.
Those that disagree with the Court’s decision, like Carter, believe the Supreme Court needs to be legally challenged, that “they need to reverse their decision.”
Others, like Morris, say there should be restrictions on abortions put in place, restrictions that might stop people from getting abortions just because they don’t want a baby. “People need to be accountable and take responsibility for the being they created by their ‘choice’ of action.”
Morris also says, “It would be nice if women who find themselves with this dilemma could be educated and made aware of all the facts before they decide.” Educated on what it really means to get an abortion, made aware of other options that could help prevent pregnancy in the first place. In essence, better sex-education is needed.
The most extreme anti-abortionists are advocating for the criminalization of abortion, which would mean anyone that gets an abortion could be charged with homicide.
Despite the uncertainty of what will happen next, there are two things for certain: the number of legal abortions will drop drastically from the near 1 million in 2020, and the conversation about abortion is not over.