The Overturning of Roe vs. Wade
June 13, 2022
Recently there has been a leak of the case Roe vs. Wade being overturned; as in abolish, invalidate, or reverse (a previous system, decision, situation, etc.). In the closing of this case the court ruled. “The Constitution of the United States protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.” This case was closed in 1973.
Do not be mistaken, this must be very clear. The overturning of Roe vs. Wade will not ban abortions, there might be concerns and complications that come with it’s overturning but national bans will not occur. Sites saying this are not telling the whole story.
The original case includes Jane Roe and Henry Wade. Jane Roe is a fictional name to protect the identity of the plaintiff; a person who brings a case against another in a court of law.
Roe wanted to have an abortion preformed, but she resided in Dallas, Texas where she couldn’t get one. No information about what the abortion laws were before 1973 could. We don’t know if they had put a complete ban or there was just a very small window. We don’t know what stage of pregnacy Jane Roe was when she asked to preform an abortion. Though in 1970, the only place known to legalize abortion completly was New York.
Roe wanted, “The absolute right to terminate pregnancy in any way and at any time to balance a woman’s right of privacy with a state’s interest in regulating abortion.” The court case ended with the federal law unable to retrict any abortions withinn the first trimester; which is from week one to week twelve in a pregnacy.
Before the federal law was passed, the states were free to make their own laws on abortion. Meaning if Roe vs. Wade is overturned, the states will be able to make their own laws on abortion again. Including states completely banning abortions or allowing abortions up to and including birth if they wanted.
The most common concern for the law being reversed is the extensive money being spent to travel to another state for an abortion. The current average for regular gas is $4.567 a gallon.
It’s unlikely that a woman that can’t afford a child could afford about $54.80 of gas to travel between one or more states with this inflation. The baby formula shortage and rising prices of it also adds on to the bill if the abortion isn’t successful or the woman decide to have the baby.
Sites:
- https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/410/113/
- https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep410/usrep410113/usrep410113.pdf
- https://www.britannica.com/event/Roe-v-Wade
- https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep410113/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade#:~:text=Roe%20v.%20Wade%2C%20410%20U.S.,abortion%20without%20excessive%20government%20restriction.
- https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion
- https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion