As President-elect Donald Trump assumes office, the Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade, faces a questionable future. Trump has stated in previous interviews that he intends on appointing a "pro-life" justice, and with the approval of Senate, it's possible that Roe v Wade could be weakened or reversed. Although, a complete reversal of Roe v Wade is quite improbable, it is probable that the decision could be "chipped away" at making it difficult for women to obtain the proper medical attention needed for an abortion based on what state they live in. While these implications may not effect higher income women who can afford to travel to different states to receive an abortion, it would directly impact lower income women and possibly prevent them from reaching a proper abortion clinic.
Questions:
- Do you feel it's possible that Roe v Wade be overturned completely?
- How could this effect the progression of Women's Rights?
- What other Supreme Court decisions could be reviewed or overturned?
I believe it is possible that abortions will become more difficult to obtain in the future. However, even now there are several states in which there is only one abortion clinic, making the procedure difficult for women to obtain. Even though Trump could select an anti-abortion justice, it would be somewhat unlikely for the court to overturn the precedent of Roe v Wade, which has existed for over forty years. In any case, closing abortion clinics would have negative effects on women's health.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kate that abortions will become harder to get, but will ultimately not completely be ruled against. I believe we may face a situation similar to that following Brown v. Board of Education that the decision will slowly be enforced and take affect over a long period of time instead of immediately like many wish it to. Although this is not an ideal outcome it should eventually lead to a US that allows abortions similar to now we have a US with (relatively) equal schools.
DeleteI agree with Kate that abortions will be significatly harder to get, however, I also agree with Andrew Chai that Roe v. Wade will not be completely overturned. Furthermore I believe that liberal states like California will pass propositions in case abortions did become against federal law that will allow abortions to be legal in the US.
DeleteI do not believe it is possible for the Roe v. Wade decision to be overturned. Considering the severity of abortion Trump will have issues getting enough people to support him and nothing will get done. However, I do believe that it will be harder for women to obtain the medical procedures they need especially in areas with a high poverty rate.
ReplyDeleteI think Trump will turn the issue over to the states and cut funding for many federal programs. In turn, this will cause liberal states to remain the same, but conservative states to remain against abortion.
DeleteI think the potential for Roe v. Wade to be reversed or weakened as a result of Trump's Supreme Court picks is a huge threat to the progression of women's rights. As someone who is pro-choice, I do not believe the government should have the right to infringe upon women's reproductive rights. Additionally, making abortion illegal won't stop women from seeking it, but will rather further jeopardize their health, as many could seek unsafe alternatives.
ReplyDeleteI think Priya makes excellent points, and I would have to agree with her on every one of them. One of my greatest concerns upon Trump's election was how he would handle the abortion question. While I do not think he threatens the specific case of Roe v. Wade, I do believe his decisions in his coming term will lessen women's ability to attain an abortion, even seeing how low that ability already exists.
DeleteAs Priya said, Trump will be appointing at least one new Supreme Court judge, and he has already promised to appoint judges who are pro-life. This should be concerning for women across the country not only because of Roe v. Wade but because of women's rights in general. Priya also makes a really good point about women continuing to seek abortions. Even before there was even a thought about making abortion legal they were happening. The procedures were dangerous and often unsanitary since they had to occur discreetly. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, women are likely to return to that option.
DeleteNo, it is not possible to overturn Roe v. Wade completely. This would require an amendment to the constitution, which would be impossible to pass. However, there is real concern over the *access* women may have in certain states to abortion clinics. Texas, for example, has only 11 abortion clinics in the entire state. This number is down from over 20 just over a year ago. This trend may continue in many southern states and the Supreme Court will not be there to protect female reproductive rights.
ReplyDeleteYes I agree that women's accessibility to the clinics is the real issue. The progression of Women's rights will suffer since "many states under Republican control have already forced closure of abortion clinics." The induction of a new conservative justice will only further this problem
DeleteThis also goes along with our studying of undue burdens. I think that it is definitely likely that Trump's election will inflict regulations that should be considered as an undue burden. Trump has the power to make getting abortions a lot harder to get in some states, but he doesn't have the power to take away a beneficial medical procedure that has been in practice for decades.
DeleteThis also goes along with our studying of undue burdens. I think that it is definitely likely that Trump's election will inflict regulations that should be considered as an undue burden. Trump has the power to make getting abortions a lot harder to get in some states, but he doesn't have the power to take away a beneficial medical procedure that has been in practice for decades.
DeleteIf you consider the fact that there are multiple aging liberal justices on the Supreme Court, Trump could very realistically swing the balance of power to the right during his term. This would allow for an opportunity for those on the right to make a real dent in decisions that conservatives have been arguing against for a while, like Roe v. Wade. If the right court case comes along, and makes it to the Supreme Court, there could be change in terms of how America regulates abortions. However, until something like this happens, there will be no way to know the intentions of a Trump Supreme Court.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Drew. Although it is unlikely that Roe v. Wade will be completely overturned, I think it is important to consider how intensely Republicans and Trump supporters are against abortion. They will expect Trump to uphold his promise to end or restrict abortion and with a majority Republican congress and as Drew mentioned the potential for a majority Republican court, Trump could very well succeed in influencing the decisions of Roe v. Wade. Nevertheless, I think it is safe to say that women's rights as it pertains to health issues will certainly be affected in the years to come.
DeleteDue to precedence, I do not believe that Roe v. Wade can be completely overturned. On the other hand, I do believe that there will be a lot of chances in regard to abortion during the next four years. I predict that, with Trump's help, many states will make stricter abortion laws and make it much more difficult for women to get abortions. This notion keeps baffling me. The idea that in 2017 we are going to make less progress and even revert many of the amazing things we accomplished instead of continuing the progression is appalling. I am worried for our future, but I do not believe abortion can be fully taken away.
ReplyDeleteUnder Trump, there is worry that other Supreme Court decisions could be overturned with constitutional amendments. Trump indicated he's "fine" with the high court's opinion legalizing same-sex marriage and called it "settled". However, some of the other more controversial decisions may not be so secured. Progression in America is threatened under the Trump administration.
ReplyDeleteAs we've already seen in Ohio, where Gov. John Kasich veteod the 6 week heartbeat bill but signed the 20 week ban into law, the moves in attempt to overturn Roe v. Wade are already in progress. The 20 week law challenges the basic principles of Roe v. Wade, where the fetus would not be viable outside of the womb at 20 weeks. The measures to challenge Roe v. Wade and ultimately, women's health are already in play and pose significant challenges for women's rights. Under this law, women who want abortions due to rape or incest are now unable to, which completely violates the rights of these women. If Trump ends up nominating two or three conservative justices to the Supreme Court, the future of Roe v. Wade is extremely uncertain.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Fiona. The recent events in Ohio are already hindering women's progression. Abortion clinics all over the country are at risk, and many states that are conservative will soon follow in Ohio's lead. This is devastating as a woman, as women should have the say on what happens to their body. Restricting women from abortions is a violation of women's rights.
DeleteI do not feel that it is possible that Roe v. Wade will be overturned completely, especially with the current "5-3 majority supporting abortion rights". In order for there to be a anti-abortion rights majority, there must be one of the five to retire or pass away, giving Trump another vacant Supreme Court seat to fill with a conservative, pro-life justice. Overall, although it is unlikely that it will be completely overturned in the coming years, this also brings to attention how there may be significant set-backs for women's rights under Trump's time in office.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Roe v. Wade could potentially be overturned because Kennedy is a swing vote, and even though he upheld Roe v. Wade in one decision, he has made other decisions that could potentially detrimentally to women's health. So, with the addition of another conservative justice, the majority could easily become 5-4 in favor of overturning Roe v. Wade.
DeleteI believe that at this point it is nearly impossible to fully turn over roe v wade due to the amount of women that have used/ will need to use abortions in the future. Removing the right to an abortion represents a removal of a woman's ability to live her life as she so chooses, and any attempt to remove that right will likely result in an uproar in much of the United States female population. While it is possible that Trump and his cabinet will try (and possibly succeed) at making abortions harder to obtain, full removal of abortions rights would be nearly impossible to achieve, and is therefore not a realistic goal of the Trump presidency.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Roe v. Wade is likely to be completely overturned. However I do think that if Trump follows through on his campaign promise to appoint a pro-life justice, then Roe v. Wade could very well be weakened by future decisions thus making it more difficult for women seeking to have an abortion.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that the decision made in Roe vs. Wade is going to be overturned, at least I hope it won't. With this election and the recent decisions being made, it has been made clear that anything is possible. If this were to be overturned I think that the decision would be detrimental to the progression of Women's rights. It's 2016, how could people think it's still okay to limit a woman's freedom and take away her right to do what she wants with her body?
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