The Future of Roe

By "Rosalind Arden"

When Brett Kavanaugh sits down to testify before the judiciary committee he will of course declare his belief in Roe v Wade as settled law. What he won’t declare is that he is probably more than willing to chip away at Roe by upholding any law that places obstacles in the way of women trying to assert their rights under Roe. Most of these restrictions come from states where laws designed to deny access to abortions are advanced under the guise of “protecting women.” These laws can come before the Supreme Court and can be enforced by a conservative majority. For this and many other reasons we do not want this man on the Supreme Court. Pro-choice advocates are right to be worried about the future of a fundamental women’s right.

It begs the question of why is this a legal issue at all? We do not argue over the legality of heart surgery or kidney transplants. We argue because opinions about women’s reproductive rights are allowed to overrule facts and that these opinions are largely self serving. Men want to control women. Evangelicals want everyone to believe as they do. There are those who want to control access to birth control and any information about reproduction. Women simply want to control their own bodies. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but the only opinion that counts is that of the pregnant woman. She must to be able to make her choice and get the required support, be it prenatal care or an abortion.

One thing that almost everyone on the spectrum of opinions can agree on is the desire to make abortion rare – not by making it illegal as that will just make many desperate pregnant women into criminals – but by making it unnecessary. Meeting that goal requires comprehensive science based sex education and full access to contraceptives. The education would have to go beyond current abstinence training which has only damaged young people in terms of pregnancy through ignorance and the spread of STDs. Correct sex education teaches young men and women what reproduction is all about – and what it means to assert self esteem when no is the right answer.

If Brett Kavanaugh is confirmed it is highly likely that he will follow the other conservative justices, take the path of the staunch pro-lifer, and work to deny the reproductive rights that women have been fighting for for generations. Without overturning Roe, he could make matters worse than they are now. Already women who don’t have the means to travel long distances can’t get the care they need. The "pro-life" approach denies school children the information they need to make what could be the most important decisions of their lives. Married women of child bearing age are denied the ability to control when they have children. Women must be able to make their reproductive decisions for themselves.

In the end the only approach that makes any sense is freedom of choice backed up by knowledge. In the words of a great bumper sticker, “If you’re against abortion don’t have one." Let each woman decide for herself based on her own beliefs. Roe is now and the future. Don’t let it die by degrees.

"Rosalind Arden" is a contributor to Freethought Views who chooses to remain anonymous.

The Future of Roe by "Rosalind Arden" (anonymous) appeared in the September 5-12 edition of Freethough Views in the Colorado Springs Independent.