By Connie Lee, May 17, 2022
In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States passed the decision to guarantee protection for women to choose to have an abortion without any consequences. A draft of a majority opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court proposing to invalidate Roe v. Wade written by Chief Justice Samuel Alito was leaked earlier this month. Cal Poly Pomona students gave strong perspectives on the possible overturn of women’s reproductive rights.
CPP students shared their thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court possibly overturning the right of abortion.
Shireen Tsang | business marketing student
“I believe the possibility of Roe v. Wade being overturned by SCOTUS will be detrimental. Women will no longer be protected when it comes to having a safe abortion, which will then increase the numbers of maternal mortality rates since this choice was taken away from them. I believe abortions should be legal in all states because every woman should have the right and choice to do what they want with their body. It’s common decency and, as humans, we should not have it being taken away from us.”
Lourdes Michaela Eusebio | business administration management and human resources student
“I believe that Roe v. Wade being overturned strips the freedom from all women in our country, which is truly upsetting. This will have a negative impact on the working class, especially Indigenous and Black people, which is disheartening because it feels like our country is regressing. Women should have the rights to their own bodies. I believe that the best thing we can do as college students is to protest and donate to abortion funds.”
Taylor Humphreys | economics student
“I think that SCOTUS possibly overturning Roe v. Wade is an indication that women in the U.S. are still viewed and treated as second class citizens by many American politicians. Women across the country should not have any part of their right to bodily autonomy stripped from them, regardless of whether they believe that their embryo is a baby or not. I think there are better, not to mention far safer ways, to encourage a lower rate of abortions. For example, investing in the expansion of sex education.”
Emily Martinez | sociology student
“Looking at Roe v. Wade just shows how we can’t move forward as a country. The fact that banning abortions is up for debate just shows how much power the government has over our bodies. I think there is a high possibility of this being overturned due to the people on our Supreme Court. They aren’t asking what the people want, rather what the nine justices and what they believe in.”
Edgar Castañeda | general biology student
“It’s amazing to see how this world is becoming to be and I’m not talking about the good of it, mostly looking at the bad. The quote, the ‘right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ begins with ‘life,’ and ‘life’ begins at conception. This quote talks about how the meaning of freedom should begin at conception and it should be the woman’s choice to decide on any actions toward her body. It’s almost disturbing to hear the act of Roe v. Wade being possibly overturned by SCOTUS and this is because I find it wrong how one should decide what a woman does to her body, especially men. Long story short, a woman’s body should always be a woman’s choice.”
Robert I. Berger Engle | computer science student
“My opinion is that I don’t have an opinion on abortion, to whether it is right or wrong, as I wouldn’t really be able to understand what someone who may undergo it is feeling. It’s interesting, however, that the court is considering overturning it as the Supreme Court barely does that.”
André Perez-Estrella | mechanical engineering student
“I think it’s pretty messed up for it to be overturned. It’s not really our say on what an individual can do with something going on entirely in their own body, and it seems like a slippery slope to start policing it.”
Alexis Gomez | chemical and materials engineering student
“The possible overturning of Roe v. Wade is a major hit to the personal liberties of not only women but everyone. It set a precedent that the government couldn’t interfere with our personal lives and without it we are subject to more restrictions. Also, it’s no one’s business but their own whether they want an abortion.”
Nicholas Estrella-Cavaiani | physics student
“If they do want to get rid of that (Roe v. Wade), they should also be focusing on the mothers who may not want the kids. Those kids should at least be funded or compensated. However, it’s still a tough topic, what happens to the kids should also be considered but the foster system is still a mess.”
Isabella Garcia | liberal studies pre-credential student
“These reproductive justice concerns have been accumulating for some time. Women of color reproductive justice organizations have been emphasizing for years that this would be especially catastrophic for low-income women and people of color. The discussion must also be presented as a matter of access, not just of individual choice.”
Nicholas Garcia | electrical and computer engineering student
“Personally, I do not believe anyone should be allowed to control what others do with their bodies. Overturning Roe v. Wade shouldn’t even be a topic of discussion simply because it often doesn’t pertain to the people doing the overturning. Stripping people of their basic human rights in this nature will only cause people to take matters into their own hands, creating an unsafe environment for those that wish to practice this right. I also believe that government should remain secular in manners such as this to guard against any clouded judgements.”
Feature image courtesy of Ian Hutchinson.