It feels surreal to say that women have less control over their bodies in today’s America than 60 years ago. However, due to sweeping and horrifying campaigns carried out by the GOP, this is the reality. Since Roe v. Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court, half of the United States has enacted oppressive and restrictive laws to discourage abortions. These laws are dystopian and severely regress women’s freedoms and autonomy. 

Firstly, what is an abortion? An abortion is a method of terminating a pregnancy, either with pills or a surgical technique performed by a doctor. In 2021, over 600,000 abortions were reported to the CDC. Abortions rarely ever result in harm to the woman undergoing the procedure, but the pro-life movement often presents the procedure as scary, unsafe, and traumatizing. There are a myriad of reasons someone might wish to obtain an abortion, such as not having a support system for the unborn child, being afraid for their health, or simply feeling they are not ready to be a mother. Whatever the reason, women should be allowed to choose what is right for them with their doctor — and without the government’s invasive restrictions — as a part of their privacy. 

In about half of America, abortion has been severely limited and restricted since Roe v. Wade was struck down. Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, and Texas have enacted bills prohibiting abortion after a “fetal heartbeat” is detected. This is usually around six weeks, extremely close to the average time a woman may discover she is pregnant. So, thousands of women are unable to obtain an abortion by the time they even realize they are with a child.  Most abortions are requested due to unplanned pregnancies, of which over 3 million occur in America each year. Though it is difficult to measure, this is likely about half of all US pregnancies. So, even if a woman is impregnated by rape, she has only a few weeks after the attack until she will have to carry the baby to term. 

America is now one of the only developed countries in the world where abortion is this limited. In Europe, 95% of women live in an area with access to abortion. Though most countries only allow abortions up to 10-24 weeks into a pregnancy, exceptions past this can be made for various social and economic reasons. It is embarrassing how far removed American laws are from these European rulings. European leaders such as Boris Johnson and Olaf Scholz have themselves expressed concern for the future of women’s sexual and reproductive rights in America since Roe v. Wade was struck down.

Why are these laws being created? Because lawmakers are prioritizing the fetuses involved in an abortion, instead of the women carrying them. However, these fetuses could not survive without the woman they are inside.  Now, as soon as a heartbeat can be detected, the woman is forced to carry the baby for nine months and give birth. These lawmakers also believe that a fetus should be given full legal rights because it is a “person.” For example, in Alabama, embryos are now considered extrauterine children. Though many of these lawmakers mean well, they fail to consider the immense toll pregnancy and motherhood have on women. In addition, to pass these extreme policies, lawmakers are relying on emotional language and persuasion, such as emphasizing the “sanctity of life” and showing images of fetuses in the womb. Many are also making promises they cannot keep, such as Governor Greg Abbot promising to "eliminate rape" in the state of Texas to justify abortion restrictions. Despite these promises, over 60,000 rape-related pregnancies were reported just last year, with 55,000 being in states with no exception for rape. Hardly any of these women were able to get an abortion. 

Also, despite this issue affecting women and their bodies, it is mostly men making these restrictive laws. Today, women make up only around ¼ of Congress. Why should a group of men who are not medically trained be able to make decisions about women’s personal reproductive choices?

Already, the horrific results of these restrictions are being showcased. A 12- year-old girl in Mississippi was raped and did not know she was pregnant until 11 weeks in. The OB-GYN then told the girl and her mother that they would need to travel to Chicago to abort the baby, which the family could not afford. So, the girl had to keep the baby and give birth. Though she could have been able to receive an abortion because she was raped, surrounding doctors were afraid to provide one because of the risk of a lawsuit. It is absolutely dystopian that women are not being allowed to choose whether or not they want to keep the baby resulting from a traumatic event like rape. 

So what can be done? Democratic lawmakers have been outraged by these recent updates to abortion restrictions. Many wish to enact laws protecting the right to obtain abortions and protecting doctors from legal repercussions for providing them. President Biden also just strengthened protections for the privacy of women who travel out of state to get abortions. In addition, the Biden Administration sued the state of Idaho, claiming that the state’s restrictive abortion laws conflict with a federal law requiring that hospitals stabilize those facing an emergency medical condition. The administration has also promised to protect women’s right to contraception if the Supreme Court makes a ruling against it. These efforts are admirable, but likely will not be enough to fix the damage that has been done. 

Overall, this topic exemplifies the danger of the over-regulation of women’s choices, and how quickly a country can become negligent to a group in need. Those who respect women’s right to choose need to support politicians who will fight for that right, and share their opinions by voting and supporting pro-choice legislation. Women deserve the right to self-determination, including for their reproductive health, despite efforts from dogmatic politicians.