Opinion

Roe v. Wade is a human rights issue, not a religious one

People protesting against the 9 supreme court justices

Dylan Burkett/The Cougar

There is no doubt that abortion is currently one of the hottest topics for Americans, especially after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the precedent of an American’s right to choose. 

Roe v. Wade is not just an issue of choice but a test of America’s justice system and a war on those who can get pregnant.

“I don’t find the repeal of Roe v. Wade really surprising at all,” said junior computer science major Noah Harrison. “I think the repeal itself is hugely regressive and when coupled with other recent Supreme Court rulings, it gives me concern that we’re transitioning to an era of outdated textualist dogma that will disproportionately harm minorities.”

Roe v. Wade not only went after American liberty but also brought up the question of religious freedom. 

The idea that life starts at conception is a Christian belief. Now that the states can create their own laws regarding abortion, several of them have honed in on that belief and banned abortion all the way to conception. 

Several other religions have different views regarding where life starts and to leave it to states that have an over-representation of Christian politicians is an injustice. 

In Judaism, the belief is that life starts at the first breath you take. For other religions as well as those who are non-religious, the support for abortion is high because many of them do not share the belief that life starts at conception. 

To add on, abortion is intertwined with cultural, economical and personal experiences. 

Many people on the other side like to make the argument that people who want an abortion just want an easy way out while they have sex. 

This is not the case. 

The most common reason people seek abortion is that they are not financially ready, the pregnancy was unplanned or they need to focus on their current children. People do take measures to prevent pregnancy but when the responsibility lies mainly on the one who can get pregnant, it is unfair to punish one when it takes two to conceive. 

It is also unfair to tell people they should practice abstinence to prevent pregnancy when the issue lies in the fact that the government wants to take away the livelihood, liberty and freedom of Americans.

With the push of pro-birth, there is also an irony when nothing is being done to protect those who are currently living. 

There have been no monumental moves for gun control after the heartwrenching massacre at Uvalde that killed 19 children and two adults. 

The baby formula shortage leaves parents scrambling for any way to feed their infant children, reaching desperate measures like mixing water with formula and traveling thousands of miles to smuggle in baby formula from neighboring countries. 

America still does not provide paid maternity leave to new parents which leaves a lasting negative impact on not only employees but their children as well. 

All of this is to say that politicians and the Supreme Court do not care about children or the unborn because if they did, they would be working to protect them even after they are born. 

Instead, it has been turned into a war on those who can get pregnant and a political agenda used by both parties to gain votes.  

As young students striving to live a fruitful life, it is vital that we speak up on these issues and find the hypocrisy that lies within them. 

If we don’t, this will become yet another issue swept under the rug until the next controversy makes the headlines. 

Cindy Rivas Alfaro is a journalism sophomore who can be reached at [email protected]

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