Lyssa Beyer

This Jan. 22 marked the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision establishing a woman’s right to choose a legal, safe abortion without interference by politicians. While we celebrate this decision still stands as the law of the land, the anniversary also reminds us that anti-choice politicians are slowly chipping away at the fundamental rights Roe protects.

President Bush appointed two anti-choice justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Last April, both of these justices, along with three others, voted to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, thereby outlawing a specific abortion procedure that doctors have deemed the safest for some women with high-risk pregnancies. Doctors may be forced to go against their best judgment and the oath they have taken by advocating a course of action they feel is not in the best interest of their patient.

Like Roe, this decision affects all 50 states. The procedure is now illegal in Wisconsin and nationwide. Despite this, anti-choice politicians in the state Assembly are attempting to score political points by proposing a statewide ban that directly replicates the Federal Abortion Ban. While it may seem the state ban’s outcome is inconsequential, the overall message of this political move cannot be ignored. The passing of this ban will mean that our legislature does not trust women and their doctors to make responsible medical decisions.

This proposed ban is not the only law we should be worried about in our state. With the April 2007 decision to uphold the Federal Abortion Ban, the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled a dangerous shift that’s poised to undermine or overturn Roe v. Wade at any time. If that occurs, the decision of whether abortion is legal will return to state law. Despite our progressive history, Wisconsin has some of the strongest anti-choice laws in the country that will outlaw abortion if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Wisconsin has a currently unenforceable law on the books that would make almost every abortion a crime, were Roe overturned. Our state is also one of the few to not include an exception if the woman’s health is in danger or if the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. These exceptions were even included in the anti-choice Hyde Amendment, which outlawed using federal funding for abortions.

Our law is also one of the worst in the country because it could be used to criminalize women who have an abortion or perform an abortion on themselves and doctors who perform abortions. Women could be prosecuted and face up to three years in jail, while doctors could also face criminal proceedings and be jailed for up to 15 years. In addition to forcing women into illegal and unsafe abortions, the law will make a woman’s personal private medical decisions a matter for public investigation.

It is clear, then, that the federal protections of a woman’s right to a legal, safe abortion are not what they once were. Anti-choice politicians are spending time and money trying to find loopholes that slowly whittle away the original rights protected by Roe. Before it is too late, we must begin to voice our opposition to this trend.

We must elect pro-choice politicians both federally and within our state. We cannot afford to allow another president into office who will appoint justices that rule against a woman’s constitutional right to privacy. Also, it is pivotal that we elect statewide officials who represent the pro-choice majority, as evidenced previously, they may have a large affect on a woman’s right to choose in the future.

Equally important, we can work to prevent unintended pregnancies and the need for abortions. Ironically, the same politicians who oppose access to abortion also oppose common sense methods to prevent unintended pregnancy, such as greater access to birth control and comprehensive sexuality education. By promoting affordable and accessible contraception, we can prevent unwanted pregnancies. In addition, by advocating for age-appropriate, medically accurate comprehensive sex education, we can ensure our schools are teaching teens the truth about sex and their bodies.

The 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade indeed calls for great celebration. Women nationwide are undoubtedly grateful they can make private medical decisions without interference by politicians and that they have access to legal, safe abortion if they choose it. However, Roe is not safe and there is still work to be done to oppose anti-choice politicians who are against reproductive rights and women’s health care. To learn how you can help create a Roe of your own in Wisconsin or to get involved on campus, contact Students for Choice: [email protected] or attend our next meeting, held Wednesdays at 3 p.m. in the Alumni Room in the Davies Center. Together, we can ensure that Wisconsin women will always have access to safe, legal abortion.

Golden is senior social work major, a board member for Students for Choice and guest columnist for The Spectator.