Roe vs Wade

On Friday, June 24, the future of our nation was changed with the overturning of Roe vs Wade. Now, I will try and spare you of my personal feelings on this as best as I can because we all know that debating morality is not the bees knees. However, I will be sharing some predictions I have based on this decision made by the Supreme Court.

Things that might happen

The overturning of Roe vs Wade is probably not a stand alone event when it comes to rulings being overturned by the Supreme Court. Justice Clarence Thomas shared an opinion piece that says “In future cases, we should reconsider all of this court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold, Lawrence, and Obergefell.” All of these cases were originally decided based on the 14th Amendment rights to privacy.

Griswold vs Connecticut was a decision in the supreme court that protects the right for individuals to buy and use contraceptives without government restriction. If this is overturned, millions of women thought the country will lose access to doctor prescribed medication. This means that women with conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) will loose access to the medication that allows them to live their life comfortably and pain free.

Lawrence vs Texas was a decision in the supreme court in which the court ruled that sanctions of criminal punishment for those who commit sodomy and oral sex are unconstitutional. If this gets overturned that means the decisions that you and your partner make in the bedroom are controlled by the government.

Obergefell vs Hodges is the civil rights case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to all couples by both the due process clause and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. If this gets overturned that means that gay marriage would be illegal.

I speculate that the rulings made on Loving vs Virginia, Brown vs the Board of Education, and Wisconsin vs Yoder are in danger of being overturned as well.

Loving vs Virginia made interracial marriage legal. If this gets overturned, all interracial marriages would be considered illegitimate.

Brown vs the Board of education ended segregation in schools. If this gets overturned, schools could refuse to enroll a child based on their race.

Wisconsin vs Yoder gave parents the right to choose to homeschool or to send their children to private schools. If this gets overturned, parents would not be able to homeschool their children or send them to private schools and it would give parents even less say in the education their children receive.

I also predict an increase of distain for Americans visiting other countries and would not be surprised if there is international backlash because of the Supreme Court’s decision. Forced birth is listed as a crime against humanity according to the UN.

I would not be surprised if items like wire coat hangers and certain foods and herbs that are known to cause miscarriage were either banned or heavily regulated by the government.

I also would not be shocked if HIPPA laws (laws that provide medical privacy and discretion between patients and their healthcare providers) were challenged, because HIPPA laws were founded off the original decision of Roe vs Wade.

There is also a possibility of religious organizations suing the states they reside in based on the loss of religious freedoms the overturning of Roe vs Wade has caused. According to Jewish teachings, the Church of Prismatic Light, and The Satanic Temple, some of these new laws that have been introduced infringe on religious freedoms.

Things that will happen

Now most of this information is based off of what was happening in the US before the original ruling on Roe vs Wade was made, and some of this is based off of what happened in Romania in the 60’s, and Iran in the 70’s after abortion was criminalized.

First and foremost, women will die. When access to healthcare is restricted and criminalized, people die.

Another thing that will happen is rape and other forms of sexual assault will increase, while reported rape and sexual assault will decrease. Victims of rape will be less likely to report the rapist if the woman could be charged with murder for terminating the unwanted pregnancy.

Women will be less interested in sexual relations even with long term partners and spouses. If pregnancy could mean losing their life, women will do everything they can to avoid pregnancy.

There will be an increase in hospital intake cases of women with sepsis who tried to abort a fetus at home or at an underground abortion clinic.

There will be an increase of people moving to states where reproductive rights are protected.

There will be women who suffer from a miscarriage who are wrongfully accused of having an abortion and tried for murder. If convicted, these women will not only have lost a child, but they will also be a convicted felon.

Women will be less likely to get a job. Employers will no longer want to hire someone who is likely to miss months of work at a time because of pregnancy.

Women with reproductive issues and generally difficult pregnancies will have a hard time finding doctors and medical professionals who are willing to treat them, which will increase the already astronomically high maternal mortality rate.

Advice to women

If you are pregnant, or planning on becoming pregnant, you need a will. According to a 2018 joint study done by the World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control, maternal mortality rates in the united states are already the highest of any developed nation in the world. And without adequate reproductive healthcare, they are only going to get worse now.

Delete your period tracking apps. The information on those apps can be used as evidence against you if you are suspected of having an abortion.

If you have ever had a miscarriage or an abortion, no you haven’t. Delete all traces of it from social media. The statute of limitations doesn’t apply to murder and all those heartfelt posts just became potentially incriminating information.

If you are taking any form of HCG hormones to help with weight loss, stop right now. HCG is the hormone they test for in pregnancy tests. If a doctor gives you a pregnancy test while your taking HCG you will most likely test positive, and if you are pregnancy tested again and the results are negative, you will likely be investigated for an abortion.

If you are pregnant, the following foods should be avoided at all costs, as they are known to cause miscarriage, and could cause you to be investigated for an at home abortion if you are found to have consumed them at any point in your pregnancy.

Pineapple. Pineapple contains bromelian which softens the cervix and can start untimely labor contractions, resulting in a miscarriage.

Sesame seeds. Sesame seeds, in large quantities, were used by the women of Asia for centuries to induce labor at all stages of pregnancy.

Raw eggs or foods with raw eggs in them (like mayonnaise and raw cookie dough), can cause miscarriage.

Unpasteurized milk and unpasteurized milk products. Like raw eggs, they can cause miscarriage.

Animal liver. While liver is normally nutritious, it can be dangerous for pregnant women to consume.

Sprouted potatoes. When sprouted, potatoes contain toxins that don’t usually affect humans when fully cooked, but can be dangerous to a fetus and can cause a miscarriage.

Papaya. Papaya, contains an enzyme that can cause uterine contractions that can cause a miscarriage. This enzyme is found in the whole fruit, but predominantly in the seeds.

Aloe vera. Aloe vera comprises of anthraquinones, a kind of laxative that induces contractions of the uterus, and can cause a miscarriage.

Peaches. Peaches, if consumed in large quantities during pregnancy can produce excessive body heat leading to internal bleeding and could cause a miscarriage.

Herbs. Herbs in general should be avoided during pregnancy without the approval from a medical professional, as many are known to cause miscarriage or birth defects. High on the list is mugwort and dong quai, as they can cause a miscarriage.

Vitamin C supplements. In large quantities, vitamin C has been known to cause miscarriage.

My thoughts

This is a devastating decision that the Supreme Court made. As a woman who has reproductive health issues as it is, the overturning of Roe vs Wade has cemented the fact that I will not have the option of giving birth. Under the best of circumstances, pregnancy would have been life threatening for me. Because of the new laws, my husband and I have both decided that having a child is not worth risking my life, or my freedom. And I know we are not the only family who is coming to this realization.

Over the past few days, I have heard a lot of people saying “we can just agree to disagree” and while that statement may be true for trivial matters like Starbucks has better coffee than Dutch Bros, or OSU vs OU, but I will never “agree to disagree” on matters of morality and human rights.

Keep your politics out of my uterus and out of my healthcare

My body

My choice