The following is a Letter to the Editor for the Opinions section.
For many biologically female people, it has been a scary time with uncertainty surrounding what the future will look like, with eight states implementing stricter abortion laws. Most recently, Alabama passed a bill banning abortion, the strictest restriction to be passed so far. Other states, such as Georgia and Ohio, have passed “heartbeat” bills, which ban abortions at about six weeks, which is before many people even know they are pregnant.
Terri Collins, a Republican representative in Alabama, has come out saying that this bill has been created in order to reach the Supreme Court in the hopes of challenging the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. The bill is set to go into effect in six months, but before that point, it is likely to face appeals in the court system, as the courts rely on precedent and therefore the Roe v. Wade decision. Many predict the bill will move through the U.S. court system through the appeals process. Once the bill reaches the Supreme Court, it is their decision whether to put the case on the docket. However, anti-abortion groups believe now there is an opportunity to overturn the 1973 Supreme Court decision because of the two conservative justices appointed by Trump, even though polls show that the majority of citizens still support the Roe outcome. There is still hope that the Supreme Court will follow the precedent set forth in the 1973 decision.
If put into place, though, what can a ban like Alabama’s mean for those thinking about seeking an abortion? One of the main questions in the bill is the exemptions if there is a serious health risk by reasonable medical judgement. These terms are not defined in the bill, which leaves questions open on how doctors will interpret these terms and what they will be open to doing without fear of the new bill.
These are definitely uncertain times that lead many people to question the future and be fearful that their rights are being restricted. As this bill moves forward, a Huffpost poll reported that 57% of people do not support the abortion ban in Alabama, and a CBS News poll shows that 67% of people support upholding Roe v. Wade. Even with the courts leaning more conservatively, the polls show general support for following the precedent. There are many questions moving forward and abortion is likely to be a hot topic for the foreseeable future.
