A Supreme Court initial draft majority opinion that was leaked to the public on May 2, 2022 has the potential to overturn the infamous and influential Roe v. Wade, a milestone decision in women’s battle for abortion rights. If the ruling is confirmed in the next couple of months, the ramifications will be large-scale and heartbreaking for women all over the country.

In the opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, the court voted to strike down the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade decision that protects women’s rights to have abortions with minimal government restriction. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito wrote.

The effects on abortion laws will vary across the states. Many states have “trigger laws”, which will essentially ban all abortions in all cases, effective immediately once the ruling is confirmed. 26 states, almost exclusively the midwest, are predicted to place near or total bans on abortion.

For women everywhere, this is a nightmare. The hostile and bitter debate over abortion has infected our country for years. For a moment there, we were going forwards, yet somehow now in 2022, we will now be going backwards.

I strongly believe that the right to have an abortion is a basic human right that should have never became a political issue.

Let’s start with some basic facts: Abortions, done safely and correctly by certified doctors, are simply medical procedures that do not harm neither the embryo nor the mother.

An important keyword to note here: embryo. Not baby or child. Embryo.

In abortions administered at 8 weeks pregnant or less (which is the most common time to have an abortion), the life form growing inside the woman’s stomach is called an embryo, which is a less than an inch, resembles a lima bean, and can feel no pain nor emotion.

So let’s be clear here: we are not killing babies.

But if people are so concerned about this form of “murder”, how are they able to completely disregard the child’s life after it is born? Many women seek abortions because they are not provided with adequate healthcare and childcare services to allow their child to live a good life. Many women are far too young to raise a child, and their babies will be thrown straight into the shitty foster care system. Many women are simply not emotionally ready for a child, and will not be able to raise it how it deserves to be.

Another relevant fact that pro-life advocates disregard is the reality that abortions will continue in the United States, regardless of the law. The law will simply prevent safe abortions, forcing women to resort to dangerous methods. A study by The University of Colorado, Boulder in 2021 states that a national ban on abortion would cause annual pregnancy-related deaths to increase by 21%. Yet supporters of this refer to themselves as “pro-life”.

Why are political figures who are focused solely on furthering their own careers, men, and anyone but women deciding what we can and can’t do with our own bodies?