On January 22nd, 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decided and ruled that the Consitution of the United States would protect a pregnant woman’s liberty and freedom to choose whether they wanted to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. This court case and law was named Roe v. Wade, and has allowed women to choose for themselves whether or not to carry on with a pregnancy for almost 50 years. 

However, on May 2nd 2022, a news site called Politico published a leaked draft decision by the Supreme Court, written by Justice Samuel Alito, stating that Roe v. Wade, and consequently Planned Parenthood v. Casey, would be overturned and would allow states across the country to ban abortions. Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of this draft, stating that the leak of the draft was “absolutely appalling” on Thursday, as well as calling the unknown leaker “foolish” for thinking that they could affect the work that’s being done within the court. He also said that he hoped that “one bad apple” would not change the “people’s perception” of the Supreme Court. I don’t know about you, but this seems like one heck of a bad apple, and this tree has definitely produced lots of other bad apples in the past. 

Anyways, if the Supreme Court were to move forward with this decision, what would this mean for abortion rights across the countrr? Well, the overturning of these abortion laws would mean that women in the states that would impose the ban would be unable to get an abortion, regardless of the circumstances of which the preganancy occured. Pregnant women and people in those states would be forced to carry through with the pregnancy both willingly and unwillingly. Additionally, if the Supreme Court were to overturn Roe v. Wade, abortion, according to the Center for Reproductive Rights Data would:

–Be Banned In: Alabama, American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming

– Be Restricted In: Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, West Virginia, and Wisconsin

-Be Protected By Law In: Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington 

–Would Remain Accessible, but Provide No Legal Protection: U.S. Virgin Islands, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Virginia 

Although a final decision isn’t expected until the summer, many have already started to protest the overturning of these laws claiming that it’s unconstitutional and that, “Ending Roe V. Wade would be an attack on bodily autonomy. It’s a fundamental right for people to make their own health decisions,” according to @folxhealth on Twitter. Governer of California, Gavin Newsom, has also shown support for abortion laws tweeting, “If men could get pregnant, this wouldn’t even be a conversation. This decision isn’t about strengthening families, it’s about extremism. It’s about control. We will fight for the right to choose.” Additionally, United States Representative, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC) said, “There is nothing ‘pro-life’ about denying people comprehensive sexual education/making birth control harder to access, forcing others to give birth against their will, & stripping them of healthcare & food assistance afterwards.” @TocarraElise on Twitter is terrified when they state that banning abortion would mean, “…Forced birth in a country with the highest maternal mortality rate, no paid maternity leave, no universal subsidized child care, no continued birth parent care, and frequently inaccessible mental health care.” 

Although this devastating news has come to light and left many of us worried for the future of our nation, it’s important to note that abortion is STILL legal and no final decision has been made just yet. Meanwhile, we should continue to fight for the protection of abortion rights. No one should have the right to decide what someone can or cannot do, especially if that someone does not have a uterus. Make sure to keep an eye out for massive nationwide pro-choice protests happening on May 8th and 14th. We will win this fight. We are not going back.