By Clarissa Piqani
December 3, 2021
On January 22nd, 1973, Roe v. Wade was decided in favor of Roe, protecting a pregnant person's liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. Sadly, this extraordinary and very important landmark in United States history is now in jeopardy.
The law that ignited this recent controversy was the Texas Heartbeat Act. This legislation prohibited anyone from receiving an abortion when a fetus heartbeat is detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy. This is a clear infraction of the right Roe vs. Wade has granted Americans.
Last week, the Supreme Court reviewed the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which would prohibit virtually all abortions in Mississippi after 15 weeks of pregnancy. Due to this case, the Supreme Court is considering whether or not to overturn Roe v. Wade. With a recent rise in state governments adding their own legislation to abortions, there is a very high chance that it will be overturned.
Supreme Chief Justice Roberts, who is in favor of implementing Dobbs v. Jackson, questioned why 15 weeks isn't enough time to decide on an abortion. Chief Justice Amy Coney Barrett is in favor of adoption over abortion (although there are already 400,000 children in foster care).
Some people may need longer than 6 or 15 weeks to even discover they are pregnant. Not everyone is blessed with the means of being able to go and buy a pregnancy test or going to the doctors to see if they are pregnant. Some people do not have the means to raise a child. There is also a chance that the person carrying the baby is a minor and may not have support from their parents to raise a child. What if there was a scenario in which giving birth to the fetus would result in death?
Taking away legal abortions will not prevent anyone from having them. Keeping Roe in place guarantees safer abortion. The option to have an abortion should always be available. No person should have to travel state or country lines to have an abortion. No one should put their safety and life at risk.
Meet the Writer!
Clarissa Piqani, class of 2023, is the Opinion Editor for the Dedham Mirror. She enjoys keeping up to date with modern topics and talking about politics. She looks forward to sharing her opinions with all of you.
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