January 22, 2018, marks the 45th anniversary of the landmark US Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which constitutionally protects the right to safe and legal abortions in the United States. In 1973, the Supreme Court ruled an abortion was protected under the privacy laws of the Fourteenth Amendment, which was backed up by a legal precedent from a medical case in 1965.
Prior to the passage of Roe v. Wade, American women were given little choice when it came to their family planning options. Women who couldn’t afford to leave the country for an abortion had little recourse in the states. Many subjected themselves to dangerous and unregulated medical procedures, and the ruling was a pivotal moment in shaping the nation’s domestic affairs.
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Although Roe v. Wade continues to stand, anti-choice advocates have been highly successful at restricting access to reproductive health care in the states. On Twitter, the American Civil Liberties Union highlighted six states where an abortion is near impossible because of health center shutdown laws.
Kentucky, West Virginia Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota and Mississippi all only have one operational clinic.
According to NARAL, a pro-choice organization that fights for reproductive rights, 7 in 10 Americans support abortion access. Despite the fact, the majority of Americans support the right to choose, since taking office President Trump has made himself a vocal opponent of abortion. Also, last year, the Trump administration rescinded an Obama-era mandate that required employers to provide their workers with birth control coverage regardless of moral or religious hangups.
Ensuring that families are able to make their own choices about reproductive health, including contraceptive services and abortions, requires constant vigilance and participation in the political process.
What you can do:
Several organizations are working to defend the reproductive rights across the country. Consider making a contribution to NARAL to support their fight to end abortion restrictions that make it difficult for women to make choices about family planning.
Although at least 70 percent of Americans are pro-choice, data from the nonpartisan research PerryUndem shows that anti-abortion voters have distinct views towards women and gender roles. According to PerryUndem, anti-abortion voters are less likely to want a woman choosing which type of procedure or care is used for abortion and are more likely to want a woman who received an abortion to feel punished.
Since the historic Roe V. Wade case, states have enacted at least 1,193 laws that block abortion access— more than one-third of those have been passed since 2011. If you disagree with anti-abortion voters, then make sure you’re registered to vote so that you can make an impact when it comes to an election.
And then some:
In celebration of the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the impact of this case on reproductive rights, all kinds of people and organizations have taken to social media with various hashtags such as #7in10forRoe and #RiseUpforRoe.
