Abortion rights are human rights
Jazmin Chavira (created with Canva)
26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion without Roe v. Wade.
Access to safe abortion services is a human right.
Nearly one in the four women in the U.S. are expected to get an abortion at some point in their lives, according to a 2017 study.
Roe v. Wade was a 1971 – 1973 landmark decision by the U.S Supreme Court. It ruled that a state law that banned abortion was unconstitutional. The ruling made abortion legal in many circumstances.
Protecting the right to abortion does not imply allowing more people to have abortions. Abortions were common even before Roe v. Wade, albeit they were mostly illegal and dangerous. Roe v. Wade not only guaranteed the right to abortion, but also the right to a safe abortion.
If Roe v. Wade is struck down, as a leaked draft memo from the U.S. Supreme Court suggests it could be, it will have a major impact on states across the country that have already signaled their intention to restrict or ban abortion.
The draft ruling on overturning Roe would not outright ban abortion nationwide, but rather empower states to restrict or outright prohibit it, which advocates of reproductive rights warn could have far-reaching ramifications for the country. Over half of states are anticipated to outlaw all or nearly all abortions, putting the most severe restriction on reproductive rights in 50 years.
While the draft has yet to be finalized, overturning Roe’s decisions will disproportionately affect people who face economic barriers. In 2014, three-quarters of abortion patients were low-income and almost half of them were living below the poverty level.
Women in these states who need abortions and have money will travel to states where abortion is legal. However, poor women and teenagers will be forced to choose between an unsafe abortion and having an unwanted pregnancy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) acknowledges that legal restrictions on abortion do not result in fewer abortions. Rather, they force pregnant people to pursue riskier abortion services that can lead to serious injury and even death, reports the Center for Reproductive Rights.
Abortion has been one of the most contentious issues in American politics for nearly a half-century.
“This decision is a direct assault on the dignity, rights, & lives of women, not to mention decades of settled law,” said former U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.
Overturning Roe will have far-reaching consequences for the law. According to the Court’s draft opinion, Roe was “egregiously wrong” because it protects a right that was not included in the constitution, was not protected by the original framework of the Constitution, and was not traditionally ensured as a constitutional right.
“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences,” Justice Samuel Alito wrote in a draft majority opinion. “And far from bringing about a national settlement of the abortion issue, Roe and Casey have enflamed debate and deepened division.”
The Supreme Court wants to send the question of abortion back to states and let them decide. This is an egregiously wrong decision. Equality is guaranteed by our constitution. It’s not something that people should ask for or even fight for. It should not be at people’s discretion whether or not women should have these rights.
This is about equality.
Despite the fact that women and men engage in the exact same act to reproduce, women are the only ones who could ever be subject to a broad range of health risks and often detrimental economic consequences that a man could never experience.
In spite of having engaged in the same exact behavior to create a pregnancy, men can not be subject to these health risks and economic consequences. The only real way to make women be equally in control of their lives as men is to give them the same ability that allows men to control their lives. Otherwise, we are forced to live in a country where being born a woman leaves you less in control of your own life. This is not equality.
Telling a woman what she can and cannot do with her own body is dehumanizing. People lose power when, regardless of the circumstances, they make a decision that prevents a woman from receiving the full health care she deserves. It is wrong to deprive people of this authority.
In a statement on the reported Supreme Court decision draft, President Joe Biden said, “Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not to be overturned.”
The Court’s decision to overturn Roe will not put an end to the heated political debate over abortion. On the contrary, it will amplify it by becoming the dominant issue in countless elections for Congress, state legislatures, city councils, and judgeships.
“It will fall on our nation’s elected officials at all levels of government to protect a women’s right to choose. And it will fall on voters to elect pro-choice officials this November,” said President Biden.
Abortion is still legal in every state, but some have imposed restrictions on abortion care. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, individual states will be free to set their own legal limits on abortion access. In the summer, an official decision is expected.

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Aracely Iturbide • May 26, 2022 at 2:12 pm
Thank you for talking and starting a discussion about this. It has been horrifying to see that the right to have an abortion is even being debated. Like you said, having access to abortion services is a human right. Women should be able to make a decision over what they do with their bodies. I really liked how you mentioned that this situation of abortion rights comes down to equality. Taking away a woman’s right to have a safe abortion and giving it to the state not only enforces inequality, it is also extremely dehumanizing. Thank you for writing about this!
Mya • May 26, 2022 at 11:43 am
Thank you for writing about such an important topic that is so overlooked! As a person who should have these human and abortion rights, it’s horrifying to see men “in power” take these away, when they are part of the act. It isn’t a one-sided situation when it comes to fertility. Both parties play a part and having the man decide whether or not you get to keep the fetus is dehumanizing and outrageous. Thank you for writing and spreading awareness on this topic.
Suleyka Hernandez • May 26, 2022 at 11:36 am
I love your article, I agree that abortion is a human right for women and that it’s unbelievable that it could be taken away from us
Dani De La Cruz • May 26, 2022 at 11:25 am
I fully agree with the statement that abortion rights is a human rights. Many people think or assume that having abortion rights means that everyone and anyone who is pregnant is going to be persuaded to have an abortion when that is not the case. Abortion rights *allow* people to have the *option* of having an abortion. For example, I can fully support abortion rights but never have an abortion myself. Another aspect that refusing abortion rights would bring (and that admittedly, I myself am not familiar with personally) is the aspect of the children themselves. The foster system and privatized adoption system is not known for being caring or safe for children. Instead, a child would have a traumatic experience and have to deal with the consequences that isn’t even their own.
Gianna Mercado • May 26, 2022 at 8:35 am
I agree completely that abortion is a human right, its so disrespectful and uncalled for that people want to make laws about what a women should do with her body. Sometimes it seems like people would rather make laws about womens bodys then make better gun laws. Right now people are loosing there lives to gun violence, especially from that texas school shooting and they would rather not act now on that. These people need to make laws that will better society, when abortions dont even harm no one, but guns kill more people and have a greater impact. Thank you for writing this article, and talking more about this issue.
michelle zamora • May 25, 2022 at 9:55 pm
Hi, I just want to start off with saying what a great article. These last few weeks I’ve seen many states ban abortion. I think it is terrible because anybody especially men should be making choices on women’s bodies. There could be many reasons as to why a women can’t have the baby. I think it is so inconsiderate to have people vote on whether or not they should be taking away our human rights. Thank you for writing this article!!
Leslie Capiz • May 25, 2022 at 9:25 pm
First of all, I want to thank you for writing this, because this is such an important topic and it should be discussed more. I find this article to be very well written, and I agree with what you say because abortion rights are human rights. As you pointed out, men and women are treated differently in this situation, despite the fact that they both engaged in the same behavior. It is dehumanizing for them to try to decide what to do with our bodies and take away women’s rights to choose to completely alter their lives, and the fact that men are making these decisions makes this extremely upsetting and horrifying because they do not understand what women have to endure. Though it shouldn’t be argued at all, I’m glad it is being discussed, nevertheless, this will help others in the future and I hope all women know that they have choices and that their lives matter, even though those in power make it difficult to see that.
Johana Carmona • May 25, 2022 at 9:24 pm
I agree that we shouldn’t be limited in our control over our bodies. Women should have the right to have a safe abortion and not risk their lives because of the law. This is an interesting article that addresses a very important topic. Thank you!
Elizabeth correa • May 25, 2022 at 1:52 pm
I agree fully that abortion is a human right and the fact it is being taken away from women is harmful to our rights. It will just lead women to follow harmful ways of abortion and do them on their own.
Melissa Cortes • May 25, 2022 at 11:55 am
I have talked a lot about this situation to my friends and as much as I can on social media. I am open about this topic and I am open about where I stand which is that abortion is a human right and should not be taken away. It is horrifying to see that people are still trying to make laws about our bodies. It is not only horrifying and unfair as you have said. Everyone should have options and whatever happens in the present day will affect youths’ futures. Thank you for writing this article and bringing it to light!
Kaithlyn Gonzalez • May 25, 2022 at 11:23 am
I completely agree that abortion should be a right. The way male political leaders are deciding what women can do with their bodies is horrifying. Thank you for writing this article!