Roe v. Wade: Freedom of Abortion

History

Abortion was not a controversial issue in America when it was more of a "problem" to get pregnant out of wedlock. Though, as time went on, abortions were becoming a bigger talking point, peaking around the 1970s. A court case titled Roe vs. Wade was soon filed by two lawyers on behalf of a pregnant woman, given the pseudonym "Jane Roe", in order to fight for the legality of abortions. Moving up the totem pole of courts, the case eventually reached the Supreme court, coming to the decision of giving the right to abortions and privacy.

Overturn

In 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After this, states went on to create their own laws surrounding abortion and birth control. Without the precedent of Roe, there is little to stop states from outlawing abortion entirely. As of creation of this site, there are 16 states that outlaw any types of abortion, no matter the time of gestation or reasoning.

Change Within Abortion Belief With Religion

When the argument of abortion had first started, evangelicals, especially christians, argued either in support of or indifferent to Roe, as the bible does not say anything to condemn nor support abortion, and it held strongly with both religious freedom as well as a non-intrusive government. However, as time went on, anti-abortion catholics started to join arms with conservative evangelicals and slowly moved them to the anti-abortion belief.

World's Youngest Mother

Within the debate of abortion, the mental toll on the pregnancy is often discussed, especially within states with stricter abortion laws than here in Colorado. If the mother can support the baby financially, if the mother has the mental capacity for a child, if they are ready to have a child, and most importantly, if the baby was concieved consentually or not, and the age of the mother. Those who oppose abortion may be shocked to know that the youngest mother in history was 5 years old, though the baby was concieved when she was 4. The girl, Lina Marcela Medina de Jurad, had a condition known as "precocious puberty", where a child reaches puberty incredibly fast. With an abortion, she would have been able to live a semi-normal life, without a constant reminder of the assault she had to have gone through.