Article by Presley Frank, Photo by Gayatri Malhotra

The United States Supreme Court’s historic overturning of half a century of a precedent set by Roe vs. Wade has brought the issue of abortion back into to the forefront of American minds. A woman's basic right to decide what to do with her own body is something that has long been denied in many countries around the world. The US is now among them, and that can only worsen conditions overseas. Tarah Demant, Amnesty International's Interim National Director for Programs, Advocacy, and Government Affairs told NPR, “other countries could point to the U.S. to legitimize their own restrictive policies.” It is important to examine the implications this ruling has domestically to understand the damage it will do at home and abroad.

Misinformation has attached a harmful stigma to abortion, transforming this issue of medical liberty into one of politics and public scrutiny. The denial of abortion care is a strategic method of controlling women. The right to have an abortion is a basic human right that should be granted to all those with the capacity for pregnancy.

Yet, even in countries and US states that legally allow abortion, there are often barriers that limit its accessibility. In such cases, exercising the right to abortion care can still be heavily stigmatized and met with a scarcity of resources. A study concerning abortion training in medical schools conducted by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that “in the third-year OB-GYN rotation, 23% reported no formal education, whereas 32% offered a lecture specifically about abortion. While 45% of third-year rotations offered a clinical experience, participation was generally low.” The issue of the lack of abortion access is just as pressing as complete bans on abortion, and this problem is compounded by the lack of professionals trained to perform necessary procedures.

Furthermore, preventing safe abortion procedures by trained professionals doesn’t actually decrease abortions that take place. According to Guttmacher Institute, “In analyses that exclude China and India, whose large populations skew the data, the abortion rate is actually higher in countries that restrict abortion access than in those that do not.” As per The World Health Organization, “23,000 women die from unsafe abortions each year.” When safe abortion is denied or inaccessible, people are forced to seek dangerous methods of abortion instead.

Many barriers exist to getting fair reproductive care in any form; among these are lack of political will, stigmatization, lack of counseling, socio-economic disadvantages, lack of support, lack of information, etc. For instance, The National Partnership Organization shows, “Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women… Black women experience physical ‘weathering,’ meaning their bodies age faster than white women’s due to exposure to chronic stress linked to socio-economic disadvantage and discrimination over the life course, thus making pregnancy riskier at an earlier age.” A study conducted by Duke University estimated that, “banning abortion in the U.S. would lead to a 21% increase in the number of pregnancy-related deaths overall and a 33% increase among Black women.” This creates a huge, negative impact on women's health and security overall. Pregnancy and birth are major medical events whose dangers and resources are heavily influenced by societal unfairness. Breaking down the barriers to access fair reproductive care in all forms including abortion is crucial to move towards equality.

Denying a person’s right to an abortion is one of many familiar methods used to control women and the choices they make concerning their bodies. This is just another example of how women have been continuously denied basic human rights throughout history, from the inability for all American women to partake in voting until 1965 to the right to fair reproductive healthcare being taken away in 2022. According to The Center of Reproductive Rights, “The inability to access safe and legal abortion care impacts 700 million women of reproductive age (worldwide).” That’s 700 million people with female anatomy who are subject to laws denying them their physical autonomy. The crisis of discrimination and injustice shows up in all parts of a woman’s life whether it’s from receiving lower income averages than our male counterparts or being denied the right to chose what is best for our own bodies, health, and lives. Although discrimination against women has seen progress over time, it often resurfaces in ugly ways, this time restricting our healthcare.

A women’s right to an abortion should be offered freely and accessibly. Working towards a society where all people with the capacity for pregnancy have access to abortions and are not shamed for receiving them is crucial to the progression of women in society. Given the Supreme Court’s recent reversal of Roe vs. Wade, improving abortion access in the United States is now more challenging than it has been in 50 years. This responsibility now resides in the hands of our young generation, the very generation this ruling will most greatly affect.