What are Our Thoughts on the Potential Overturning of Roe v. Wade?

“I was initially aghast. It was horrific to think that after decades, [the government] would even consider overturning an act that granted women their first amendment rights. The decision would’ve meant a regression in our democratic progress and a sign of disrespect to all the women over centuries who have fought for their rights and contributed to society just as much as men did. Abortion rights are natural rights that all women should have. It is their body and they should choose to do what they want with it. Not giving women that choice is a violation of their rights.” —Joanna Meng, sophomore

“I went to the rally after school in Foley Square. And Leticia James spoke, [and], like, a lot of really big politicians and activists [were] talking about their experiences and about New York. That's when I really realized everything and how severe it was, and how much it was going to impact women of color and poor women in this country. I live in New York, so I didn't really know how terrible it was for women in other states. It already is so hard to get an abortion and it was very eye opening.” —Helen Mancini, freshman

“I don’t feel like the right decision was made because the legislators [aren’t] female; they’re not the ones that are going to have to deal with the pregnancies. Second, they’re overturning the right to abort, but they’re not putting anything in place to take care of the children that are now going to be born. Third, overturning Roe vs. Wade [...] doesn’t mean that there’s not going to be abortions, it means that there are going to be more dangerous abortions. As a human race, we have control of our bodies, we’ve established this; no one else is allowed to control our body. And giving birth—that is a facet of your body. And the same way that people get mad, which, by the way, doesn’t affect other people [...] if someone gets an abortion, even if it affects your religious and political beliefs. We’re not a theocracy, we’re a democracy, so we don’t have to cater to Christian beliefs.” —Orup Ghosh, sophomore

“It’s men deciding women’s rights in general. I think the situation is very unfair against the people it affects and is very hypocritical in a way, because people who decide the rights for abortion are basically the same people that, during the COVID pandemic, [...] argued ‘my body, my rights’ when they didn’t want to mask and now they’re essentially saying ‘your body, my rights.’” —Edmund Chin, sophomore

“I wasn’t too surprised when I heard that Roe v. Wade was being overturned, to be honest. I think that there is a strong sentiment against abortion in [a lot] of the country and many of the justices echo this view. I think that women should be given the right to choose if they want to have an abortion and that the country is moving backward if we are taking this right away from them. For me as a guy, this doesn’t really affect me in any big way. However, for women in this country, it takes away their freedom to choose, which I think is really unfortunate. To be honest I do not plan on taking any action. I know that the overturning of abortion is horrible for this country, but I don’t really feel compelled to take action.” —Faiyaz Rafee, junior

“As a staunch defendant of bodily autonomy, I believe a woman has the right to choose to get an abortion, as the fetus is reliant on the mother’s body for nutrients until that point. However, as a staunch defender of the Constitution and federalism, I also believe that states should have the sovereignty to determine the policies within their borders. After all, the regional constituents of a state know best which policies they prefer over those in other states and, as such, are more responsive to demands [that are] more popular in their states. In fact, Democratic Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, famous for her pro-choice views, holds that Roe v. Wade was a poorly decided Supreme Court case. As a result, it seems logical that states should decide when a fetus is viable and when it should be protected. Even if we may have personal beliefs on the issue of abortion, it is most effective to keep the issue a state issue. Otherwise, the federal government would easily have the power to entirely outlaw abortion just as easily it could allow it in all 50 states.” —Sayeb Khan, junior

“Justice Alito’s originalist drive to overturn Roe v. Wade threatens the fragile future of women’s reproductive rights in America, but more importantly, implies that anything he, 72 and aging, doesn’t find emphasized or not “deeply rooted” in his interpretation of American society should not be legally recognized or protected: women’s rights, working rights, gay rights, civil rights, and so much more.” —Qing Yi Chen, junior

“I think that everyone should have the right to safe abortion should they need one, because there are a variety of different reasons why a person might need them and it's not always just an irresponsibility thing. If the [government] had the children and the mothers in mind then they would have tried to make the adoption system better, make it easier to get birth control, make it easier to prevent unwanted pregnancies, or try to prevent unsafe abortions, but they are not really doing any of that. I feel like the overturning of the case is directly just to try to control, as it's been seen before in history, just to control women’s rights. Historically it's also a trend, continuing now into this area of [reproductive rights].” —Zareen Islam, sophomore