With the Supreme Court appearing likely to overturn Roe v. Wade, no longer guaranteeing the right to abortions, many UO students are frightened by the prospect — and eager to take action in support of reproductive rights. Although Oregon law protects abortion, students are concerned about the precedent the decision could set, and the marginalized communities it could affect in Oregon and in more conservative states.
“I just keep thinking to myself, ‘This can’t actually happen,’ but it’s scary to think that it can and it will,” UO sophomore Samantha Howard said. “I’ll talk to other students who say they’re terrified to even have sex because they don’t know what might happen.”
A leaked draft opinion written by Justice Samuel Alito was released by Politico on May 3. According to the draft, the Supreme Court voted to strike down Roe v. Wade — the 1973 decision which protected abortion rights — although justices may change their vote until the court’s holding is published. The draft also questioned Roe v. Wade’s assertion of the right to privacy, which it had used as an argument against state interference in abortion.
UO senior Kat Abrams, co-director of UO Students for Choice, said she is concerned the decision could set dangerous new legal precedents.
“Roe v. Wadedoes not stand in isolation,” Abrams said. “It is part of an incredibly important line of legal protections that protects fundamental privacy rights and human rights, from interracial marriage to same-sex marriage to even the use of basic contraceptives. It’s incredibly concerning.”
With Roe being overturned, Congress could pass a national law codifying abortion rights. However, such a law would have to work around the Senate filibuster, which requires 60 votes to enact most legislation. With this number unlikely in a closely divided Senate given one such bill’s recent failure, the question of abortion restrictions would fall to individual states. This would create a patchwork set of laws where abortion would be legal in certain states and restricted or banned in others. Thirteen states have passed ‘trigger laws,’ which would immediately ban most abortions upon Roe being reversed, according to the New York Times.
Oregon has a liberal record on abortion rights, including statutory protection for abortion. Oregon’s current state law states that a public body cannot deprive consenting individuals of the choice of terminating a pregnancy. It also restricts a public body’s interference with services related to abortions. However, Roebeing overturned could still have significant consequences for Oregon residents.
“[Oregon is] expected to see up to a 234% increase in out-of-state patients from places like Idaho seeking abortion care,” Abrams said. “We have to invest in more funding for reproductive health services for people coming, but also expand the number of providers and build up our health infrastructure to get ready to treat all of these people.”
Conservative states could also expand restrictions on other areas of reproductive health. One such bill being considered in Louisiana would allow for the criminal prosecution of pregnant people who received an abortion, while banning the use of certain contraceptives like intrauterine devices (IUDs) and emergency birth control. Howard said she worries bills like these and the precedent they set could pose “enormous danger” to pregnant people.
Abrams said abortion restrictions would have disproportionate impacts on marginalized communities, particularly for people of color. For instance, in Mississippi, 74% of abortions in 2019 were obtained by Black people, who make up just 44% of the total state population, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those without the resources to travel to abortion-friendly states would also suffer compounding impacts.
Howard said she has experienced social stigma regarding abortion and reproductive health at UO, particularly when compared to other forms of healthcare.
“It’s such a sensitive topic, but I feel like it shouldn’t be,” Howard said. “I feel like men’s health is not nearly as uncomfortable for people to talk about.”
While Abrams said UO has been generally supportive of abortion rights, particularly in providing contraceptives to students, she noted the lack of educational resources available to students.
“If you go to the university’s student wellness website, or the University Health Center website, and you search ‘abortion’… nothing comes up,” Abrams said. “There’s no education about it, and it’s pretty unclear how a student could get access without physically going into the health center and saying ‘Here’s the situation; I need help,’ which is not something a lot of people will want to do.”
Howard said she was frustrated by the lack of respect for bodily autonomy she felt from anti-abortion advocates, and that those who disagree with abortion rights should not interfere with individual choices.
“I don’t even care if you’re pro life. If you don’t like abortions, you do you, don’t get an abortion,” Howard said. “If you want to live by the Bible, you go for it. But I don’t, and I have a right not to. So don’t enforce that on me.”
Abrams said there are other numerous reproductive health resources on campus and in Eugene that UO community members can take advantage of. She also encouraged students to get involved via whatever means available to them.
“Most importantly, don’t get discouraged,” Abrams said. “Have these conversations with your peers, make sure you are educating yourself as much as you can and don’t give up. We have to fight back, and that requires hope for that better future.”
