The Supreme Court nevertheless remains dominated by a 6-3 right-wing majority that appears likely to overturn — if not at least severely gut — the Roe v. Wade decision that 50 years ago established a woman’s constitutional right to abortion. Anticipating the Court’s decision, this past week Republican-dominated states across the U.S. moved to further criminalize abortion, signaling that even if Roe miraculously survives, we are living in an era where reproductive rights hang in the balance.
Oklahoma legislators passed a near-total ban on abortion on Tuesday that if signed into law would make providing an abortion a felony crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine. Arizona’s governor signed a 15-week ban into law, virtually identical to the law at issue in the Mississippi case now before the Supreme Court. And also this week, lawmakers in Tennessee advanced a bill that would criminalize the mailing of abortion pills — a service that has been a crucial resource for rural abortion seekers and those with limited access to healthcare services.
The Supreme Court’s decision in the Mississippi case will affect the lives of women and girls throughout the country, especially in states where women are significantly under-represented at the decision making tables of government. As Emily’s List president Laphonza Butler wrote in Ms., “This is a country that has been governed and led overwhelmingly by straight white men. It … reaches into every facet of government. And it’s not because there have been no qualified women or candidates of color or LGBTQ+ candidates for these seats. It’s because the system was not built for us.”
Of two things I am certain. Women are determined to not go back – despite what the Court or state legislatures and governors decide. And you can count on Ms. to keep truth-telling – and rebelling – as we report on the Court’s actions and as we head into the crucial mid-term elections this fall.
