In a landmark, unfortunate decision, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, leaving it up to the states to decide whether they want to ban abortions or not. 

A lot of states did that within hours, and many more are going to do it soon. It is said that half of the US will see a ban on abortions. The times are grim. 

It’s incomprehensible that in the year 2022, a court, any court, will take away a person’s right to do what they want, with their bodies. Though the problems are more nuanced than that. As pointed out by many, abortions will still take place, except they will happen in places where they’re legal. 

This means that pregnant people or those supporting them, will have to spend much more than before and risk their health to get access to medical care that could have been available at a hospital next door.

This also means that the pregnant people who are further marginalised because of societal, financial, or physical conditions, will see things getting worse for them.

Disabled pregnant people, those with limited money, the survivors of rape – one shudders to even think what they’ll have to go through, due to the ruling.

This is a time of shame for the US, a country that has been known for its democratic ideas. How are a group of people, mostly men, deciding what millions of people should do?

 Here are a few reactions as people try to process this news.

A child belongs to the mother before it belongs to anyone else, even its father. And if they deem it necessary to end their pregnancy, no law or constitution should be able to tell them that they can’t. What a catastrophe this is.