Roe V. Wade

On January 22nd, 1973, a decision about the Roe V. Wade case was made, seemingly signifying a victory for women across the United States. However, this decision was recently overturned by the Supreme Court, raising many questions about the future of women's health. Many states have already put laws into effect banning abortion completely without exceptions. However, unwanted pregnancies will still occur in many of these states. This leaves women with a few options: travelling out of country, travelling out of state, or having an illegal and likely unsafe abortion. All of these options will negatively impact the health of women. First, the lack of abortions accessibility will cause a great deal of stress and mental anguish for women. This stress could produce a higher risk of anxiety or depression. Anxiety and depression have their own health risks that are best to be avoided. Second, there are safety concerns. Many Americans do not have a huge sum of money that can be used towards flight costs to travel to a different state or country. Therefore, some women will be forced to find a random person who is offering do an abortion illegally. These procedures would likely take place outside of the medical facilities, without access to proper equipment, or sterile supplies. Also, it is likely that the procedure would not follow a minimum standard of care as there would be no standard of care for an illegal procedure, leading to mistakes that could cause permanent damage, such as organ damage and infertility. In the worst cases, these procedures could cause death. Is it worth it to risk the lives and health of American women? Abortions will still happen even if laws are in place. Although now, there will be a significant increase in illegal abortions which, in turn, will put the health of women at a greater risk. The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe V. Wade will have a significant impact on the health of the American public.