OPINION

Post Roe. v. Wade world means uncertainty for reproductive rights

Roe v. Wade puts the women who are carrying first since they’re the ones who are currently in a dangerous position for their bodies. Zeinab Agbaria | Washtenaw Voice

Courtney Prielipp

Photo Editor

I remember the day when Roe v. Wade was overturned. I was sitting in my room, scrolling on social media, and saw that one of my rights, the most important right to me as a woman, was taken away. I felt like trash.

The 1973 lawsuit filed by Jane Roe, on behalf of her and others to challenge the Texas abortion law, has always been an issue for both sides of the political pole.

The Supreme Court at the time saw that abortion falls under privacy rights that are under the 14th Amendment. They acknowledged the danger of forced pregnancy, such as physical and mental health, as well as financial issues. Roe v. Wade made it legal to have an abortion and changed the way states regulate it.

On June 24, 2022, the current Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade by a 6-3 decision. The overturning was due to a Mississippi case that reached the court in 2022.

Mississippi’s Gestational Age Act was to ban abortions after 15 weeks, which is not the standard set by Roe v. Wade. But this case stands out because the state asked to overturn Roe v. Wade. and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a 1992 case that found restrictions on abortions to be unconstitutional.

Brianna Murphy, an undecided student, said, “It was quite shocking,” whereas Abby Winfrey, a radiography major, said she “felt scared and cornered for every woman in the world.”

There are 13 states which have total abortion bans. The most known of the 13 states is Texas, one of the first states to implant laws against access to abortion.

Roe v. Wade was a law that made me, a woman, choose what was right for me. It made me put my mental, physical and financial health first.

I will always have a shadow in my doctor’s office. I feel that the Supreme Court didn’t understand or consider the multiple reasons why a woman would get an abortion.

“It feels dehumanizing,” Winfrey said. “I feel that I should have control over my body and what I want to do with it. I was born with it, and it doesn’t belong to the government, especially the older politicians who made these rules.”

Questioning birth control, IUDs and IVS

About three years ago, I was diagnosed with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), a disorder in which symptoms of anxiety or depression appear two weeks before a woman’s period starts. Normally, Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) starts about a week before a woman’s period and has less severe symptoms. PMDD affects me every day of my life.

I would lose over 20 pounds within one month, but the darkest side of my PMDD is that it would cause me to feel suicidal. I was never suicidal before. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing therapist and doctors who were there to help me.

Once I was diagnosed with PMDD, I was able to get on birth control so that I could have my period every three months. Birth control helps keep my emotions in check. Now that there are discussions about access to birth control, I am scared.

Some young women like Murphy didn’t know that the government was discussing access to birth control, IUDs, and IVF treatment.

“That’s horrible. You don’t have a choice at all. You would have to have a baby. How could they even think of doing that,” she said.

I don’t want another right of mine being taken away due to someone’s beliefs. I want to choose what’s best for me and my body. I want other women to choose what’s best for them and their bodies.

Ranar Tyler, a photography major, had a similar sentiment, saying, “I personally feel that it is selfish because obviously a lot of women in the world right now need that specific birth control and medication.”

Women should choose what’s best for them, not a stranger.