C/O Colin Lloyd (Unsplash)
The overturning of Roe v. Wade sets a dangerous precedent for our society
As you probably know, on June 24, the Supreme Court of the United States overturned Roe v. Wade. This decision effectively took away an individual’s right to an abortion in the US and cleared the way for individual states in the country to impose further bans and limitations on the procedure.
In the weeks since the court’s decision was announced, I’ve been reading about Roe obsessively, falling down rabbit holes of articles and videos as I try to understand not only what happened and what this means, but also how it happened.
Because it’s not an exaggeration to say this changes everything and I still can’t quite wrap my head around how we arrived here. Here, where instead of tackling the issues in front of us, like the climate crisis, we are returning to decisions — to human rights — we acknowledged and agreed on decades ago. Here, where the work and the world so many women, people of colour, queer folk and many others fought so hard for is being pulled apart at its foundations. Why are we retreading old ground instead of moving forward?
Why are we retreading old ground instead of moving forward?
There are going to be far reaching consequences to this regression; not just in the United States and not just for individuals with uteruses.
SCOTUS has set a very dangerous precedent with this decision, not only for rights in the US but also for rights around the world. They have shown that courts and lawmakers not only can but are also willing to reverse and rewrite these landmark moments, these hard won victories. SCOTUS have already made it clear they intend to go after gay rights, the right to contraception and even interracial marriage.
And if SCOTUS does that, what’s to stop courts and lawmakers around the world, even in Canada, from doing the same?
I want to make something extremely clear though — the decision to overturn Roe is not the result of a broken system. Their system is not broken. It was flawed to begin with because it was built to serve only a certain kind of people – cisgendered white, heterosexual men – and it is continuing to serve these people.
I want to make something extremely clear though — the decision to overturn Roe is not the result of a broken system. Their system is not broken. It was flawed to begin with because it was built to serve only a certain kind of people – cisgendered white, heterosexual men – and it is continuing to serve these people.
These people who have little to no understanding of reproductive health or the female body, nor the experiences of women, people of colour and queer folk and never mind the experiences of those at the intersections of these identities.
This lack of understanding is clear in the laws they’re creating and supporting. For example, the Texas Heartbeat Act, which took effect in Sept. 2021, bans abortion after a heart beat has been detected, which typically occurs about six weeks into a pregnancy. Six weeks pregnant though, is two weeks late for one’s period and there are a multitude of reasons one might be late for their period, including stress and certain health issues. The window to seek an abortion is so narrow and now (as of July 13) with the overturning of Roe, abortion is banned entirely in Texas.
This is why we need more women, more people of colour, more queer folk in positions of power. Because they have the experience and the understanding to create effective legislation that supports their own communities, to build stronger, better systems that serve these communities instead of leaving them behind.
This is why we need more women, more people of colour, more queer folk in positions of power. Because they have the experience and the understanding to create effective legislation that supports their own communities, to build stronger, better systems that serve these communities instead of leaving them behind.
But looking around me, this moment is full of examples of how we are moving backwards beyond just the decision to overturn Roe v. Wade: the homophobic sentiments and attacks on the queer community these past few weeks, SCOTUS also voting to limit the power of the Environmental Protection Agency during a climate emergency, the trucker convoy returning to Ottawa and so many more.
This year it’s important to me the Silhouette covers how issues, big and small, are affecting our community. We are going to be seeing the consequences of the decision to overturn Roe for a long time and we at the Silhouette remain committed to covering these stories and informing you about how they are affecting our community here at home.
C/O Gayatri Malhotra, Unsplash
Roe v. Wade should be an eyeopener for Canadians on its issues surrounding abortion access
In 1973, Roe v. Wade became a landmark case for reproductive rights as the United States Supreme Court affirmed the right to abortion. On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making abortion illegal or highly restricted in twenty states as of July 9, 2022, with others slowly following.
But this is all happening in the United States, not in Canada. So why should we care? As we are known for our amazing healthcare, it’s not an issue for us, right?
But this is all happening in the United States, not in Canada. So why should we care? As we are known for our amazing healthcare, it’s not an issue for us, right?
Being Canadian, I am beyond grateful for the ease I have had in terms of healthcare and knowing certain accommodations and procedures will always be available for me, but not every Canadian can say the same.
For instance, individuals living in provinces and territories such as Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories and Yukon, face many issues when it comes to receiving abortions. These regions often only have one abortion provider, usually found in urban areas. Moreover, these provinces and territories only have a gestational limit of 12 to 16 weeks, whereas here in Ontario the limit is around 23 to 24 weeks.
This lack of accessibility only makes it so much more difficult for individuals to go and receive abortions due to both location as there are so few providers and the shorter gestational limit.
This lack of accessibility only makes it so much more difficult for individuals to go and receive abortions due to both location as there are so few providers and the shorter gestational limit.
Additionally, abortions are not only used when one wishes to terminate a pregnancy. They are the procedure when an individual has a miscarriage or is in a condition where the baby cannot survive and will only cause harm and danger to the mother's body. Meaning as ironic as the concept of abortions may be to some, they do also save lives.
It has also been well established that restricting abortion access impacts marginalized populations heavily. According to Statistics Canada, in 2016 38 per cent of Inuit women and one in four off-reserve Indigenous and Métis women cited the most common reason for dropping out of school was pregnancy. In a study on young pregnancies in Nunavut, researchers found that Inuit women generally, have their first child at an early age and have more children than other non-Indigenous women.
Given the state the ongoing effects of COVID-19 has left our economy and society in, our government not solving current challenge and causing even more challenges for marginalized communities is more than reason enough for why we should care about what's happening here.
With the lack of funding, access, care and the history our country has over controlling certain communities, it becomes immensely difficult. This law change affects individuals economically, it will increase poverty rates, kill mothers and leave families grieving and disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
Currently in Canada inter-provincial abortions are restricted to those who can afford to travel, have the money and the available necessities. With all of the major changes happening around abortion laws and rights in the States, it should make you open your eyes to what is happening here, especially with the preconceived notion that Canada’s abortion laws are perfect. It is important we continue to do our research, never stay quiet and support our peers, even as we still have improvements to make ourselves.
With all of the major changes happening around abortion laws and rights in the States, it should make you open your eyes to what is happening here, especially with the preconceived notion that Canada’s abortion laws are perfect.
