Turning point for Abortion Law
In 1973, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. This law created a provision that generally protects the freedom to choose to have an abortion. It started with a woman under the alias “Jane Roe” who wanted to get an abortion for their third child. She filed a lawsuit with the aid of her lawyers Sarah Weddington and Linda Coffee stating that the restriction for abortion under Texas’ law is unconstitutional. Finally, through a 3-judge court in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, the decision went to Jane Roe’s favor with certain conditions wherein a timetable of Pregnancy Trimesters will govern abortion regulation - abortion is allowed on the first two trimesters. That is to balance between women’s rights and the government’s interest in, protecting the prenatal life and women’s overall well being.
Abortion has always been a very controversial topic across the communities in terms of its legality and how it is being viewed by various religious groups. And now, just very recently, Roe v. Wade was overturned and it ended a 50-year abortion rights and more than 50% of the states are expected to remove its law or severely restrict abortion as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision on a Mississippi case known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
People who have been fighting for the rights to get an abortion have gathered outside the Supreme Court to express disappointment and voice out their concerns about the issue. They are still hoping for the decision to be changed as the law that protected those that got pregnant but unable to sustain support or victims of rape, will struggle to find states where they can avail such services. Not only women are affected by this recent turn of events but even the medical community is caught in between as the healthcare workforce - primary physicians - play a very vital role in its legality. At this point, everyone’s waiting, hoping the lawmakers will pivot towards freedom to choose.
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