Recently there has been uproar related to abortion legislation in the U.S. Some people support such legislation, while others are against it. There is widespread debate on whether such legislation qualifies the highest standard of lawmaking or is it just a republican pushed agenda that will now ruin reproductive healthcare for women.
Whatever a person’s stance on abortions may be, one thing is clear an individual who is determined to get an abortion can access it, thereby giving rise to unsafe abortions. It can lead to causing deaths and painful diseases among women due to complications.
Around 1.2 million women get unsafe abortions yearly due to the inconsistent ban on abortion in some states while strict abortion laws in others. While the 50-states self-governing system keeps the constitution intact, it also gives rise to inconsistencies in law where one woman’s rights are—jeopardized, leading to drastic measures such as unsafe abortions.
The revolutionary judgment that changed it all was the 1973 case of Roe V Wade, which overturned the abortion ban, and people could get their abortions up to 28 weeks under this new ruling. However, currently, more and more states are approaching a near-total ban. It would qualify only those women for abortion who have a threat to their lives. This would disregard millions of cases where women are too young, too financially unstable, or even end up pregnant due to sexual assault.
The question arises why now? When the government is relatively leftist in its policies.
The courts have started to become more ‘right’ in their opinion, and as a result, stricter policies have been proposed, tried, and approved.
Many women have criticized that the decisions related to women’s bodies and health should not be entirely made by aristocratic white men, who are primarily in the majority. They lack the empathy to relate to women and the understanding of the opposite sex. Thus, to dismiss the cries of women when they vocalize their need for a better healthcare system and policies range between sexism and gender discrimination.
Thirty-one states have put an abortion ban and introduced strict legislation regarding abortion laws. With the increase in such a ban, likely, unsafe abortions will also increase. Eight percent of women die during childbirth due to unsafe abortions. So a ban on abortion laws is highly unethical and dangerous for women.
Many jurists think that the revolutionary decision of Roe V Wade should not be overturned and safe reproductive health should be given preference over the right-left politics for once.
It is not right to subject the physical and mental health of a woman to such dehumanizing laws that will ultimately force her to turn to unsafe modes of abortion. Pro-life activists are yet to give alternatives that provide financial plans, social security, and welfare to families.
Reference
Sophie Kasakove, What’s Happening With Abortion Legislation in States Across the Country, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/article/abortion-laws-us.html