The Supreme Court’s ruling in the Jackson v. Dobbs case opens a can of worms that will attack women’s autonomy and have fatal consequences for pregnant people in the US.
Though 64 percent of Americans believe Roe v. Wade’s 50 year precedent should be upheld, the Court decided to send the issue back to individual states. Though the effects will be felt nationwide, the ruling will disproportionally diminish the rights of women of color and low-income individuals in states with conservative legislatures – as they are most likely to lack the ability to travel for care.
It is important to note that the US is geographically very large and lacks robust rail and bus transit, so travel for care can be unfeasible. For comparison, driving from Dallas to NYC is roughly the same as driving from Edinburgh to Rome.
Many southern and midwestern US states had “trigger laws” that immediately banned or restricted the medical procedure once Roe was overturned. Others acted swiftly to curtail the right. According to the Guttmacher Institute, so far at least 43 clinics have been forced to stop providing services to women.
Let me be clear; abortion is healthcare and this attack on bodily sovereignty is disingenuous and dangerous. Restrictions like 6-week bans presume a regularity of menstruation that does not exist for many – and then require immediate decision and access. Similarly, exceptions to bans seem to be an afterthought, intentionally vague, or missing all together.
Abortion access was already inadequate and unequal in the US, attempts to curtail the right had increased, and the need for care had recently risen for the first time in 30 years. So, this recent blow will only worsen an already bad situation for people in need of reproductive healthcare.
The next few months, and years, will be critical and action will be needed on all fronts – legislative, electoral, and legal – to preserve reproductive rights where they remain and reclaim those lost. We must also raise awareness so US citizens can hold their representatives accountable as there begin to be heartbreaking consequences for real people who are unable to access necessary healthcare.