Stravato: Supreme Court made mistake overturning Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court not only took away a constitutionally protected right last week, they unequivocally punished women, making them nonconsenting incubators. They took away the most personal of all rights, the right to privacy to control one’s own body.
They based their opinion on the fact ‘abortion’ is not found in the constitution! Neither is the word woman found in the constitution! Nor, for that matter is the word God or black, white, slavery, all men are created equal, pursuit of happiness, or separation of church and state! What a pitifully weak way to take away a right just to satisfy their own personal, religious beliefs. They are attempting to turn us into a theocracy, their theocracy. We have always been a secular nation and we should remain that way.
Over 50 nations have legitimized abortion in recent years. International criticism of the Supreme Court ruling came quickly. Yet, even Poland, who made abortion a criminal act, made exceptions for rape, incest and to protect the mother’s life. Our court was merciless in its ruling.
No doubt those who would take away a constitutional right have never seen a 9-, 10-, 11- or 12-year-old girl pregnant. Nor have they seen a mentally challenged girl pregnant, neither of whom got pregnant on their own volition. A significant number of women have congenital conditions that make pregnancy dangerous if not fatal. Women who experience spontaneous miscarriages are also now subject to critical scrutiny.
The “right to privacy with respect to intimate practices,” was established in Supreme Court case Griswold v Connecticut, which legalized contraception in the United States, and established this right as “protected from governmental intrusion.” This ‘right to privacy’ was the basis of the rulings in Roe v Wade to protect abortion, in Lawrence v Texas to decriminalize homosexual sex, in Obergefell v Hodges to support same-sex marriage, and in other important cases. These rights are now at risk. Justice Clarence Thomas made that clear in his separate decision.
As a democratic nation, we should expand rights, not remove them. It is clear from numerous polls that the majority of Americans support abortion generally, and a majority support exceptions even when they do not support abortion. Thus, we now have rule by the extremist minority!
As a woman, I deeply resent punishing women who get pregnant, but not their impregnators. Why do men have bodily autonomy, but now women do not? The individual right to privacy is the most personal and important of all rights and it is doomed under this Supreme Court. Do nothing to fight this and the government will soon be in your bedroom!
Claudia D. Stravato served as CEO of Planned Parenthood of Amarillo and the Texas Panhandle from 1999-2010.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Stravato Supreme Court made mistake overturning Roe v. Wade
