Although there are many topics to consider while voting this November, one that has gotten more attention than the rest, from college women in particular, is the issue of abortion. Most of us collegiettes have been fortunate enough to grow up in a political climate that allowed the right to choose, a federal right since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.
So, for almost forty years, women have had the freedom to choose their reproductive options, and we have been fortunate to grow up in a time when our opinions about our bodies, and our lives, are respected. Depending on this upcoming election, there is a very real possibility that this right could be taken away, and many women don’t realize this.
“They can’t just take away rights like that,” “they wouldn’t be able to do that- it would never happen.” These are the kinds of comments I often hear when discussing Roe vs. Wade with men and women in my generation. I hope to be clear when I say that there is a very real possibility that if we elect a conservative president in this election, Roe vs. Wade will be overturned and the right to choose will be taken away.
The Supreme Court of the United States, (or SCOTUS), decides abortion law. SCOTUS is made up of nine Supreme Court justices appointed by the president, who vote on issues of federal importance. As of now, Roe vs. Wade is a 5-4 passing vote. What this means is that 5 of the 9 SCOTUS justices are in favor of upholding the current right to choose, and 4 are opposed to it. One of the five justices in favor of Roe v. Wade is a 79-year-old cancer survivor. It is extremely likely that the next president we elect will have the duty to appoint a new Supreme Court justice.
If we elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, they will appoint a Supreme Court justice who aligns with their own personal and political agendas. They will choose someone who will overturn Roe vs. Wade. Paul Ryan, the Vice Presidential candidate for this election, supported and even wrote a bill that would deny abortion to all women, even in the cases of rape and incest. Ryan is in favor of extreme measures such as forcing a woman to undergo mandatory ultrasounds before she can choose abortion. These laws ignore all emotional and psychological damage to women, for the sake of protecting the religious traditions of just part of our country.
The long-term effects of reverting back to the social policies of forty years ago would be not only psychologically damaging to women individually, but also a huge step back in the fight for gender equality. To be clear, this is not fiction: if we elect a Republican President and Congress, your right to choose will most likely be taken away.
Whatever your opinion is on this issue, remember you have a chance to voice it on November 6th. Tweeting about it, posting on Facebook, and reading the articles will mean nothing if we don’t all get out there and vote!