Within the past month, a multitude of states have signed and published laws regarding strict laws regarding abortion, many of which have been met with backlash. Many people of different political backgrounds have spoken out against these laws, by expressing their pro choice mindset or opinion of allowing abortion when it regards health, rape, or incest, surprisingly including conservative media figures such as Tomi Lahren and even President Trump, indirectly. These laws are happening around the country and are being signed and voted on – though not yet a law – very quickly. Indiana placed a near-ban on common second-trimester abortion. Ohio passed a bill banning abortion when a heartbeat is detected, with Louisiana and Missouri following with similar bills. Alabama signed a law that banned the procedure completely. States including Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi have passed similar laws to Alabama’s.
Though this may seem very prevalent and sudden, due to the fact that it is very heavily documented on social media as well as the news, there are not necessarily more laws being passed now than compared to other years. What makes these laws so different is that they are going further to challenge Roe v. Wade than ever before, a landmark Supreme Court case that, in 1973, determined that a woman’s right to an abortion was protected under her privacy. Though abortion is constitutionally not able to outright banned, many states have went as close to it as they can, including states like Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and West Virginia, who all only have one abortion clinic in the state.
These states are desperately trying to overturn Roe v. Wade, predominantly in the name of religion and the reasoning that “every life is a sacred gift from God.” These laws are just continuing to emphasize the divide between both sides of the political spectrum. Thirty years ago, some moderate Republicans supported abortion and some conservative Democrats opposed it. Now, the sides are as far apart as ever.
It is important to note that these laws have not yet taken effect, and as of right now, previous abortion laws in those states still stand.