For the first time in the history of Hip-Hop culture, women in the United States will not be able to terminate a pregnancy freely.
In a split decision, 5-4, the Supreme Court overturned Roe Vs. Wade, a 50-year decision that allowed for individuals to release pregnancies during the first two trimesters, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decided in 1992.
Roe vs. Wade, passed by the highest court in the nation in 1973, established the constructional rights for all women to be allowed to end a pregnancy and be protected by the government.
Planned Parenthood vs. Casey established that the constitutional right to liberty included the right to privacy in choosing to have an abortion.
According to CNBC, not all people will be affected with the overturning of the laws. Only certain states, almost half, will immediately implement laws to lock up or penalize women for choosing not to continue with their pregnancies.
Some states like New York have already vowed to protect the issues of reproductive health and women’s wellness.
Connected to this decision is an extremely restrictive Mississippi anti-abortion law that is set to force many women to put themselves in danger to self-release pregnancies, participate in back-alley procedures or cross state lines to seek legal, medical assistance.
The Reverend Al Sharpton reacted to the news during a conversation with 300 Entertainment founder Kevin Liles at the NASDAQ Marketsite in New York today (June 24th).
“Well, I think the first thing is, it is going to disproportionally impact our community, the Black community because we are the ones that can least afford to find other ways to deal with if we decide to not have a child,” Rev. Sharpton said.
“I think that it is definitely a slap in the face of people’s right to choose. I don’t understand how we can, in one breath, say that we want to make sure that all children are born, but then once they’re born, we cut off all the services for the children,” Rev. Sharpton continued. “They love the embryo and hate the baby because you cut off childcare, you cut off daycare, you cut off things for public education. So you love me in the womb, but when I come out the womb, you trying to kill me while I’m alive. It’s all politics, which is why we should never underestimate voting.”
Three of the five justices that voted to overturn Roe vs. Wade were appointed by former President Donald Trump: Neul Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.
They all said they would respect the 1973 decision but did not keep their word.
“The reason why they did us in with Roe Vs. Wade this morning is Donald Trump put three people on the Supreme Court. It’s just that simple. And if Donald Trump had not been president, he couldn’t have done that.” – The Reverend Sharpton
Conservative-leaning Justice Samuel Alito wrote in the majority opinion on the case, “We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled.”
“The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision, including the one on which the defenders of Roe and Casey now chiefly rely — the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment,” he continued.
“That provision has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be ‘deeply rooted in this Nation’s history and tradition’ and’ implicit in the concept of ordered liberty,” Justice Alito added.
“It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives,” Justice Alito wrote.
Three of those who voted to keep Roe vs. Wade, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, wrote in dissent, “The majority has overruled Roe and Casey for one and only one reason: because it has always despised them, and now it has the votes to discard them. The majority thereby substitutes a rule by judges for the rule of law.”
“Today’s Court, that is, does not think there is anything of constitutional significance attached to a woman’s control of her body and the path of her life,” it said. “A State can force her to bring a pregnancy to term, even at the steepest personal and familial costs.”
In response, many people have taken to social media.
Netflix, Disney, Paramount, and Comcast said they would cover travel costs for employees who live in a state where abortion is banned to go to other states for a safe and legal procedure.
