Story by Elena Sofia Piña-Loucks, Picture by Jessica Tan, Illustration by Mallika Sunder

With currently over half of the states with heavy abortion restrictions or even bans after a couple of weeks, federal governments are trying to control and criminalize womens’ bodies. During The Supreme Court case Roe vs. Wade in 1973, abortion was made legal in the United States. However, the Supreme Court ruled to let states make their own laws regulating and restricting abortions, even in some cases allowing them to make it illegal in nonemergent cases, after a certain amount of weeks, and establish mandatory waiting periods. 

This means that from state to state, laws change about when, and even if a person is allowed to have an abortion if it is not a medical necessity. Many states even have a ¨heartbeat¨ law, banning abortions after the heart starts beating, or when the fetus is around 6-7 weeks old. This law includes even cases of incest or rape. However, most pregnant people are not even aware of their pregnancy until after 6-7 weeks, making it impossible for them to get an abortion during that time. If a person does get an illegal abortion, the consequences are generally life in prison and the performing doctor can face having their medical liscences revoked, large fines, or being charged with manslaughter. Around 1 out of 4 women have an abortion by age 45, so steps need to be taken to stop the government from policing their bodies. Abortion access is non-negotiable.