Abortions

Here's the thing about abortions:

There likely always have been abortions in human existence. Abortions took place in pre-modern times among the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians, just to list a few of those cultures. The first evidence of induced abortion, in fact, was recorded from the Egyptian Ebers Papyrus in 1550 BCE. It's likely there were abortions before then.

That's 1550 years before Christ. Before single-issue Evangelicals.

Women, who apparently had more autonomy over their bodies back then than the United States Supreme Court is willing to give women now, could attempt any number of methods to abort an unwanted pregnancy, including the use of abortifacient herbs (such as rue, hellebore and pennyroyal, among many), strenuous physical activity (such as paddling, weightlifting or swimming), or more extreme measures such as the use of sharp instruments, bloodletting or hot water on the abdomen.

Because there almost always have been abortions in human culture, I think we can logically deduce that there always will be abortions, regardless of law, regardless of consequences.

Remember that point for the remainder of this discussion: There have always been abortions. There always will be abortions.

The significance of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision that constitutionally guaranteed women access to safe abortions, cannot be understated. The key word here is "safe." Women could go to clinics or hospitals for legal abortions without fear of personal injury or death in such procedures, which was not always the case prior to Roe.

Roe granted women protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution providing a fundamental right to privacy, thus protecting a woman's liberty to choose whether or not to have an abortion.

Thus, women were granted legal autonomy over their bodies, much as they seemingly possessed in ancient cultures. Keep in mind that Roe was approved just 53 years after women were granted the right to vote in this country. And the right to vote for women came 131 years after the Constitution – a document created by mostly old white guys – was ratified. It's been a tediously slow progress for women but a forward-moving progress nonetheless.

Less than two weeks ago, a draft opinion from the Supreme Court was leaked to the media, indicating that a majority of five of the nine Supreme Court justices are set to reverse Roe v. Wade, perhaps as early as June, even though it's been established law for nearly 50 years.

If that happens, it will be catastrophic.

Women will die.

And, for the first time in our nation's history, a Constitutional right will be revoked. That precedent will open the doors for the future revocation of rights. Are you ready for that? It's easier than you think, and it's happening faster than you realize.

Look at the restrictions already in place in many states affecting voting rights. What about privacy – not to mention due process – under the 14th Amendment? See ya?

The rush to make abortions illegal will essentially criminalize women's bodies. Some states are suggesting jail time for those women who are seeking abortions, as well as their providers. There can be no abortions for any reason, they say, not even for rape, incest or a possible unviable birth, much less for an unplanned pregnancy outside of or within a marriage.

That's outrageous, especially when you consider polling that shows at least two-thirds of the country are in favor of preserving Roe v. Wade. Consequently, revocation of Roe would take the dominantly conservative Supreme Court seriously out of step with the views of the majority of the nation. It would stand as one of the worst Supreme Court decisions ever – right up there with Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), the one declaring that people of African descent could not be American citizens.

It seems as if women (particularly women of lower income and resources) are being punished for an unwanted pregnancy. They are being punished primarily by lawmakers and politicians who are overwhelmingly male. Figures, doesn't it? It's obviously yet another way for men to control women's bodies by forcing motherhood – with no choice – upon a woman. That's the agenda.

While we're at it, let's take away birth control because, you know, it's a form of abortion, preventing the fertilization of an egg by a sperm in the moment of conception. Doesn't matter if this idea results in even more unwanted pregnancies. At least it keeps women in their place like in the days before Roe.

In an advanced civilization, this should be considered abhorrent. Or insane.

If abortions become illegal, then what happens to the men who got women pregnant in the first place? As far as I can tell, there are no consequences for men (unless the male is aiding in the procurement of an abortion). Aren't men half of this equation? Punish the woman, but not the man? That's second-class citizenry if ever we saw it.

What provisions will be in effect for the child of an unwanted pregnancy? Since the state will be forcing motherhood upon a woman, will the state subsequently provide child care? Health care? Education? Housing? Food?

Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

And we're not even talking about infant mortality in this country (5.8 deaths per 1,000 births, which ranks the U.S. 33rd out of 36 developed nations), or even maternal mortality (23.8 deaths per 100,000 births, which ranks the U.S. as the worst in the developed world).

To be certain, abortion is a deeply complicated issue.

But I recently heard Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) explain his stance: That he is personally pro-life, but politically pro-choice, and that both views can be true and held at the same time. I bet many folks feel this way.

It seems to me the decision to have an abortion ultimately comes down to the woman, her doctor and her partner. The government made its case with the 14th Amendment back in 1868 (which also corrected the Dred Scott decision). Now it just needs to back off.

Otherwise, women will die. They will die from self-induced abortions gone awry; they will die from untrained and unlicensed practitioners performing abortions; they will die from lengthy and unwarranted incarcerations; they will die from laws that discriminate. 

It's why Roe v. Wade needs to stand.