*For the sake of the article, women refers to everyone who is able to produce a child.*

On the evening of Monday, May 3rd, a leaked draft opinion presented a possible overturn of Roe V. Wade. This sparked outrage nationwide to those who support the law protecting women’s ability to have abortions without excessive government interference. This infringement on women’s rights has upset many, but why?

The possible retraction of Roe V. Wade will affect not only the current generation, but also generations to follow, making it harder or near impossible for women to obtain an abortion when necessary. This presents a major conflict for women who are seeking an abortion. They may have to seek a different medical provider or even travel to another state to get an abortion. Seeking a different medical provider or traveling to another state would require time, money, and access to transportation. These are all factors that may influence a women’s ability to have an abortion. On top of that, if states ban abortions, neighboring states will have an influx in abortion rates as others travel out of state for their abortion. Because of that, abortion rates may fall in the state where they’re banned, but increase in neighboring states, which evidently won’t lower abortion rates for the country. 

Many, if not most people who support Roe V. Wade being overturned are against abortion, claiming that “it’s killing a human being.” But that leads to the question, when does life start? At conception? Birth? Or somewhere in between. The array of opinions people express regarding this question is the reason why this topic is so touchy and difficult for lawmakers to form a united decision on. Because people are so divided on the answer, that puts congress in a sticky situation, because there’s no clear answer. Debates between members have gone on for years without reaching a definite answer. Many pro-lifers believe that a fetus is a human being, and should be treated as such, which means that people who abort the fetus are essentially committing murder. But what I believe many of them fail to realize is that the person who is carrying the fetus is also a human being. 

By taking away the ability for a human to choose whether or not to carry a child, the government is taking away the right to their bodily autonomy. Does a fetus who has never been outside the womb take priority over the human carrying it? I don’t believe so. The woman carrying it has a life. Maybe they aren’t emotionally or physically able to carry a child. Or maybe, they just don’t feel ready, or the timing isn’t right. People don’t get abortions just for fun.

There’s no “one reason” why people get abortions. But in my opinion there’s only one reason why people ban abortions, because they want to control a women’s body. By overturning Roe V. Wade, the government is placing an unborn fetus before the woman who’s carrying it. I find that unacceptable and repulsive, considering the woman is also a human being and should be able to decide whether or not to carry a child. At the end of the day, women should continue to be allowed to exercise their right to choose whether or not to carry a child without worrying about their ability of choice being taken away from them.