The Supreme Court, like most things in this country, has been inherently corrupt since its inception. However, summer 2022 brought the injustice of the justice system to the forefront with a disturbing decision: The eradication of Roe v. Wade.
Roe v. Wade was a 1973 landmark case that ended with the United States Supreme Court declaring abortion bans unconstitutional. Though some states still tried their best to loophole women into going through with their pregnancies, this was still a large step in the direction of progress.
However, as of June 2022, abortion is no longer federally protected. In some states, such as Texas, Mississippi or Oklahoma, abortion is completely illegal. Not only do abortion bans put women at risk for unsafe back-alley procedures, but they also do nothing to stop the practice. In fact, pregnancy termination rates are higher in countries where it is fully outlawed.
The practice of abortion is not an issue of sacrilegious murder. It is, in full, about controlling women and forcing them into motherhood.
With this decision, the Supreme Court solidified its status as an agent of patriarchy and violence against women. It feels dystopian. I am not sure what this will mean for the future of women. All I know is that it is a prime example of the government infringing on the rights of the female population.
The worst part of this ruling is that it does not even reflect the will of the people. According to pewresearch.org, 61% of Americans feel that abortion should be legal in some capacity.
Aside from their dishonorable choices, the Supreme Court is not an accurate reflection of whom American citizens think is fit to impartially make decisions for our country. Allowing presidents to appoint justices themselves does not sound like democracy—especially because former President Donald Trump (who won by electoral votes, not purely democratically) chose his newest representative without a proper waiting period following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Still, bodily autonomy for women is not the only right hanging in the balance. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito have both stated their disapproval of gay marriage in the recent past. Gay marriage is a fundamental human right and a massive marker of equality. But if a decision allowing women control over their own bodies was reversed, anything is possible.
Justice Amy Coney Barrett has publicly spoken of her disproval of transgender people in the past and doesn’t think transgender women deserve Title IX protection from physical harm.
It is not only the direct infringement on my rights that scares me. Among the people that we are supposed to trust as the most honorable and moral decision-makers in the country is Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women in the past few decades. One of them, Christine Blassey Ford, even attempted to keep him out of the nation’s highest court by speaking up about the horrors of what he had done to her.
Kavanaugh is not the only sexual assailant on the court. Thomas also has multiple allegations stacked against him.
Overall, the Supreme Court terrifies me. It blatantly imposes on my reproductive rights, threatens the fundamental liberties and safety of LGBTQ+ citizens, and reminds men that they can likely get away with sexual assault.
Perhaps the most startling fact about all of this is that the court is supposed to exemplify fairness for the people of America. I suppose it is fitting for a country built on the backs of disadvantaged people and historically notorious for serving the interest of only white, straight, upper-class men.
