Perspective necessary as more states ban abortion

Posted April 18, 2022

By Reed Mulkey and Marcel Tallon

By Cub Investigative Reporters

With Idaho following Texas in banning abortions, and seven other states planning to do the same, it’s necessary to go back to where the pro-choice and pro-life movements started, and the history of Roe v. Wade.

During the 1960s, there was a nationwide effort to reform abortion laws, many of which dated all the way back to the 1800s. This movement set the stage for Roe v. Wade.

Roe v. Wade was a Supreme Court ruling that recognized that the constitutional right to privacy extends to a woman’s decision whether or not to terminate her pregnancy. The Supreme Court also ruled that the right to privacy is not absolute, and a state may prohibit abortion after viability, except in the case of protecting maternal health.

Students at David Douglas High School were surveyed in their global studies class. Thirty-eight students responded.

“I believe abortion should be legal in all states. I personally agree with Oregon’s abortion laws, as anyone can get an abortion for free,” said junior Asher Mckee. "It is not anyone’s place to say what someone can and cannot do with their body.”

The surveyed students had very different opinions on this topic. “The reason I believe [in pro-life] is because I have a high value on human life, regardless of your social, financial, political views… I also believe it should be illegal because of my religious views as a Non-Denominational Christian,” said sophomore Jakob Ward. “Human life, regardless of race, religion, or other beliefs, should be valued as the key to continuing our species. The second we question the life standards of humans is the second we lose our will to live.”

In Texas, all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy are banned by state law but leave enforcement to the general public via civil suits against anyone who performs an abortion or “aids and abets” one. The Texas law allows no exception for victims of rape or incest. Idaho has passed similar laws, although they allow exceptions for the aforementioned cases.

“The legislature finds that the State of Texas never repealed, either expressly or by implication, the state statutes enacted before the ruling in Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), that prohibit and criminalize abortion unless the mother’s life is in danger,” according to Texas Legislature Online (at capitol.texas.gov).

Over 21 states have laws or constitutional amendments already in place that would make them certain to ban abortion in the event of Roe being overturned or significantly weakened, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights research group.

As other states are looking to restrict abortion rights or overturn Roe entirely, many Democratic states such as Oregon are looking to expand financial support for abortion access, with the Oregon legislature allocating $15 million in state funds to assist abortion providers.

As of right now, the future of Roe v. Wade remains uncertain, as the Supreme Court has not yet decided whether they are going to overturn the ruling entirely or keep it in place.