Tatyana Ross
The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, allowing individual states the power to revoke laws protecting women’s rights to access abortion.
The case which led to the controversial decision, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, originated in Mississippi leading to the reversal of the almost 50 years of the constitutional right to abortion, according to brennancenter.org. Since the decision, 17 states, including Mississippi, have made abortion illegal. Other states however, still allow the procedure.
The Brennan Center reported that “In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decided that the right to privacy implied in the 14th Amendment protected abortion as a fundamental right. However, the government retained the power to regulate or restrict abortion access depending on the stage of pregnancy. And after fetal viability, outright bans on abortion were permitted if they contained exceptions to preserve life and health.
Some students at Jackson State University were outraged by the court’s decision believing that the government has gone too far and taken away the rights of women to choose what to do with their own body. However, others supported the decision.
Akinola Gonzalez, a graduate student majoring in coastal engineering major from Chicago, said the abortion ban did not affect him but he sees the positive side of overturning Roe v. Wade.
“Our younger generation all have a tendency for making mistakes,” Gonzalez said. “A life should not be taken away for another individual’s irresponsible behavior.”
Grace Ann Elinski, a junior English major from Jackson, Miss., thinks that leaving abortion rights to the state is unconstitutional and she could not believe the contrast of this infringement on women’s rights next to the broadening of gun laws within that time.
“I had a lot of anxiety and fear for myself and all women. I thought about how this overturning would lead to more infanticide, the foster system being overwhelmed, botched abortions leading to death, child abuse from unfit parents, domestic violence, and higher suicide rates in women,” said Elinski.
Christine Allen, a junior healthcare administration major from California, said she agrees that the court’s ruling is unfair and thinks the law should be reinstated.
“We can’t have fun because we don’t want to get pregnant,” Allen said. “Women should have the right to do as they please with their bodies.”
Another JSU student recalled her experience with her first abortion at Mississippi’s last operational abortion clinic, Jackson Women’s Health Organization, also known as the Pink House.
She was 20 years old when she was left to deal with the pressures of having an abortion. She said that she feels the government has taken away some of her rights as a woman.
“The first time I went to the pink house, I was alone. The dad didn’t want anything to do with it after the first day,” she said. “I remember parking down the street from it because the parking lot was full.”
The anonymous student said she was greeted by dozens of protesters at her car door and it made her extremely uncomfortable.
“They surrounded the car. It was mostly white people telling me that God doesn’t approve of what I was about to do. But I’ll never forget the one black girl out of the group,” she said. “She got real close to me trying to whisper in my ear and I gave her the middle finger.”
The clinic allowed her to choose between a two-pill process or a surgical procedure to carry out the abortion.
“They gave every woman there a prescription of 5 painkillers because they said the cramps will hurt. There will be blood and when it starts you will have diarrhea,” she said. “That night I was in my room on the floor on top of two pillows that I covered with a garbage bag I had ripped open.”
She added, “I covered up with a thick blue comforter and my roommate was literally in her bed oblivious to the whole thing. I cried myself to sleep every night for weeks.”
She said she does not regret her decision but the stigma that society places on abortion sometimes still makes her feel ashamed. However, she maintains that she was not prepared to have a baby.
“I was going through a lot of things mentally and emotionally. And like the whole time I was pregnant, I was eating and sleeping my life away. I missed a lot of school because of it,” she said. “I think I saved myself from a lot of pain I would have had to go through with my family.”
She said even now she still hides the abortion from her family because she is afraid of their disapproval.
“I’d advise a woman to do what she feels is the best decision for herself and her future,” “If I’d had support, I would have a five year old today. I was scared and nobody should have to feel that way.”
The pink house officially closed its doors on July 6, 2022. According to cbsnews.com, the clinic has moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico and will call its new location Pink House West.
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