What Roe Means to Me

        The recent overturn of the Roe versus Wade case has been on my mind long before the actual decision to undo it even occurred. Ever since the SCOTUS tipped to a conservative majority, I knew it was only a matter of time before this would eventually happen. I would like to share my take on this landmark reversal and what I believe it will mean for this country moving forward.

To begin, let’s evaluate what the overturn of Roe vs. Wade actually means. The decision to repel the 1973 decision removes the constitutional right to receive an abortion, which safeguarded the practice in all states for nearly fifty years. Striking down Roe, however, does not make abortion unconstitutional, or illegal on the federal level, but gives states the ability to restrict access or expand it, which is what is currently happening across the red and blue divide. Only those living in red states will feel the effects of this decision. Abortions will still be widely available in all blue states which will also allow access to those who cross state lines to receive an abortion. One obvious consequence of this is that lower income women will find it more difficult to receive an abortion in red states compared to middle and upper-class women who can afford trips to other states more easily. Many other consequences have been speculated, but only time will tell what may eventually come. One point I worry about is what Justice Clarence Thomas asserted after the ruling by alluding that previous cases that established freedoms for the LGBTQ+ community, and even the legality of contraceptives should be reconsidered. This viewpoint completely infringes on personal choice and is a danger to individual liberty. I am not partial to the 'slippery slope' fallacy, but it is worrisome when a supreme court justice would make statements such as this with no comment coming from his fellow conservative judges.

At the core of the abortion debate, I believe, is the disagreement of when personhood begins. Most on the pro-life faction tend to support the idea that personhood and life are synonymous and begins when two cells divide, while those on the pro-choice side believe the two are separate, and that the viability of the fetus, or when a baby can survive outside their mother, is when personhood is realized. 

As for my personal views, I believe that there is value in potential human life, or when conception occurs, but I don’t think that a zygote or embryo is yet a person. There are around a million, or 15-20% of pregnancies that end in miscarriages throughout the United States every year, and the majority of those occur before 6 weeks of gestation. Though it is unfortunate and a sad day for potential parents and families, it is rare for such failed pregnancies to receive a funeral. Stillborns, on the other hand, which are fetuses that die after reaching  viability, or after 20 weeks, do occasionally warrant a funeral. For instance, I had a younger brother who was stillborn when I was a toddler, and we had a funeral for him. But for most cases, miscarriages are not seen as the loss of a person. They are not buried, nor even given names. This flies in the face of the argument that personhood begins at conception when we do not treat it as such in the happenstance of a miscarriage.
My wife and I have agreed that abortion would never be an option for us unless it comes down to her life being on the line, and even then we would seek any possible way of saving both. As for the choices of others, we have a difference of opinion. While my wife believes that abortion should be banned except in cases of rape, incest, or endangerment to the mother, I believe it should be an open option up to twenty weeks of gestation.

It is my view that if I want to ensure my ability to make the best choices for myself and my family, I must also ensure that everyone else can also make choices that they believe to be right, even if I may disagree with some of those choices. Free agency stands at the very core of societal cohesion, so long as our choices do not cause harm to our fellow human beings or conflict with other people’s ability to choose. I believe fervently that if I want my own choices to be respected and upheld, I must also respect and uphold the choices of others. This is why I supported Roe v. Wade, and feel its overturn represents a dark day for all who support freedom over tyranny.