In Focus
Well, it finally happened. The Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, setting back reproductive rights nearly 50 years.
While we knew this was going to happen, it’s still aggravating. I’m tired of constantly fighting for my body autonomy and my rights. I never thought we would have to take steps backward, instead of moving forward.
The backlash of this is going to be horrible and it will affect everyone.
The individual states now have control over their own abortion laws. Some plan to protect those rights, like Minnesota, others plan to abolish it completely. This is where the problem will begin. Women are going to have to cross state lines in order to get an abortion—for whatever reason. What I understand so far in some of these states banning abortion, unless it is medically necessary, if you are raped and become pregnant you are not going to get any help.
Now think of a scared kid with no transportation. How are they going to get across state lines? Where there is a will, there is a way, but it’s not going to be easy.
This opens up another issue...back door abortion clinics...will be popping up and that is bad news. When there is no regulation that means there can be big problems such as life-long complications, permanent damage, infections and more.
People could possibly take things into their own hands trying to abort a child such as throwing themselves down stairs, coat hanger abortions, over medicating or even suicide.
I believe this is going to lead to more suicides in the states that ban abortion, increased drug use, more child neglect and child deaths, child abandonment, and more kids needing foster care. As well as a greater strain on “the system” as more people will need assistance. Not to mention increased mental health issues and possible birth defects.
Contraception becomes another issue. There are many that don’t use contraceptives like the pill or IUD as they do have side effects and potential long term consequences. There is a possibility (according to studies I have read) that my long term use of the pill may have led to my Crohn’s disease.
Sterilization surgeries will increase and I am one of them that plan to do that. I have been trying to get my tubes tied my entire adult life. Only recently have I been given the go ahead. I was told in the past that they wanted me to have two kids first before doing the procedure. I don’t want kids and I’ve known that for a long time. They told me to wait until a certain age, and when I hit that age, they changed the requirements.
I’ve been told by others that they had to have their spouse's consent to get the procedure. Excuse me...no...not happening.
Another issue I foresee will involve the states that allow abortion. Their clinics will be overrun by those crossing state lines. Not to mention the increased demand for black market, back alley abortion drugs that may or may not be what they claim.
This is a major healthcare crisis. You know the saying “what you don’t know, won’t hurt you”? Previously...what somebody decided to do in their private life had zero effect on you...and now it will.
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