Everything You Need to Know About Abortion Access
By: Katie Harbaugh
The Context
One month ago today, June 24th, 2022, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade–the landmark Supreme Court case which had protected abortion access since 1973. In the weeks following the decision, a series of trigger bans went into effect in several states, along with increasingly strict abortion laws emerging aroung the country. States with these trigger bans–laws that would ban elective abortion upon the overruling of Roe v. Wade–include the following: Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
The Consequences
Eight states have banned abortion since June: Wisconsin, South Dakota, Missouri, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Oklahoma. Bans are expected soon in North Dakota, Idaho, Wyoming, and Tennessee, with bans blocked in Utah, Arizona, Louisiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia. However, Many of those same states already have gestational timeline bans: Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Utah, and Florida. In the remaining states, abortion is either protected, or its protection is up in the air and still lies in the hands of lawmakers. As can be seen in the list above, a majority of the states with strict abortion laws are in the south. This means that women and those who can get pregnant in the south are much more influenced by the ruling in June. In addition, these bans disproportionately impact those with financial limitations for a few reasons. First of all, without access to contraceptives, an unwanted pregnancy is much more likely to occur. Also, while some people may be able to travel out-of-state for an abortion procedure, that is not accessible to those who are less financially privileged. Most abortions are also expensive without insurance, and there are severe risks and difficulies of obtaining an abortion in states where it is no longer legal.
The Conclusion
There is no way to deny it: right now, the consequences of these bans are dismal. It seems that the main solution is to offer as much support as possible to those who need abortions and have limited access. Whether that be providing transportation, housing, financial, medical, or even emotional support. At this point, we need to fight this injustice from the ground up, which means standing by one another in these prehistoric times, and refusing to have our voices ignored.
Sources:
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/24/1102305878/supreme-court-abortion-roe-v-wade-decision-overturn
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html