Editorial: Roe v. Wade verdict outrages

From The Lookout Staff

The U.S. Supreme Court has officially overturned Roe v. Wade, making abortion a federal crime. This has created a ripple effect in the U.S., as 13 states had trigger laws that will prohibit abortion once Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Fortunately, Michigan is not one of those states, but that does not mean that our rights are not at stake.

The Supreme Court decided in a 6-3 ruling backed by its conservative and Republican members (many only recently joining due to Donald Trump) that Roe v. Wade should not have been supported in the first place, due to the Constitution not providing any information on whether it supports or contradicts abortions.

The Lookout is flabbergasted by this explanation, and is angry that women’s rights are being played with. The constitution would not say anything about abortion because it was written in the 1700s, back when giving birth to children had an extremely high mortality rate due to doctors not understanding the basic principles of sanitization, let alone futuristic procedures.

Gay marriage is also not described in the U.S. Constitution. Neither is advocating for Black or non-Caucasian rights. The Lookout believes that in this case, the Supreme Court “cherry picked” its way into overturning Roe v. Wade.

What the Constitution does say, however, is that there needs to be a separation between church and state, an issue that has plagued American politics for centuries. It will surprise no one that anti-abortion protesters are usually protesting under their own religious belief, which is that abortions are evil and not condoned by God.

For other people, who may or may not be religious, abortions are an unpleasant, but necessary procedure and ultimately, the woman’s choice as to whether or not she wants one. Outlawing abortions does not get rid of abortions altogether. It just gets rid of the option to have a safe abortion.

This new law affects women of all ages. Even a child of 11 who is raped and pregnant in a state which outlaws abortions cannot receive a safe abortion. Even a mother who is told that the complications of pregnancy may be fatal for her cannot get an abortion. Even a 16-year-old daughter who made a mistake can no longer receive a safe abortion.

The Lookout believes that this law is unjust, misogynistic and just the thing to expect from our patriarchal society. This is only the beginning of our rights being stripped away from us.

We urges people who do not believe Roe v. Wade should have been overturned to step out and protest against this injustice. Unlike in other areas of the world, we have the ability to voice our opinions and speak out against the decisions of our Supreme Court. We need to utilize that power.