Opinion: Roe v. Wade Overturned

By Julianne Giordano, 2023

Published 5/10/22

As I’m sure you’ve heard, a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the case Roe v. Wade was leaked on Monday. If their decision is finalized, then the federal protections of abortion will get taken away, leaving it up to the states to make their own laws on the legalization and restrictions of abortion.

As a woman, the feeling that I got after finding out from a Tik Tok that my rights are being taken away is inexplicable. The fact that other people, especially men, have the authority to decide what women do with their bodies is outrageous. A woman receiving an abortion does not affect anybody but herself, and that right should not be taken away on the basis of someone’s religious or moral beliefs.

Many of the arguments I see in support of this decision are based on either religious or moral beliefs. It baffles me that some people cannot grasp the concept that not everyone has the same beliefs as them and that those beliefs do not give them the right to control others. Just because your religion says that abortion is immoral and wrong, does not mean you can outlaw abortion, because not everybody believes what you believe.

Another one I see is people saying abortion is “wrong” because a fetus is viable (living) after it has a heartbeat. That heartbeat is actually not a “heartbeat” at all, rather than electrical signals emitted by cell clusters. However, that is beside the point, because at that point of being able to detect a “heartbeat” (at around 6-7 weeks) the fetus is not even viable outside of the womb. So technically, the fetus cannot survive on its own, and should not be considered a “living” thing.

No matter what your religious or moral beliefs are, it does not give you the right to control women’s bodies. There are many places to donate and show your support to fight back against this decision. I encourage you to go look and try to help.