Behind Roe vs. Wade

To understand what is on the line with the supreme court draft decision, potentially overturning the Roe vs. Wade court decision of 1973, one should examine the facts.

The decision by the Supreme Court in America in 1973 was a 7-2 vote and stated that it was unconstitutional for any U.S. state to restrict abortion rights. At the time, it was federally mandated that fetal viability was set at 24 weeks of pregnancy, and that all abortions would be acceptable up to this point. The numbers over a period of time in the United States indicate that an estimated 85 per cent of all abortions adhered to this time frame. Roe was a fictional person, but represented in effect all women.

Recent events in Mississippi and Texas have heightened concerns that some Republican-run states are restricting abortions further. Mississippi passed into law that abortions could not be performed after 15 weeks and Texas law is not after six weeks. There was also a focus in New Jersey and in Virginia (Democratic states) to allow abortions up to the ninth month. The current unofficial decision by the supreme court is based on legal issues with Roe vs. Wade. This decision will throw America into turmoil. The court should have left a 49year-old precedent intact.

David Gallo, Ancaster