Myths Debunked: A Post-Roe America

As most Americans know by now, the Dobbs v. Jackson case recently heard in the Supreme Court has the potential to reverse the 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The pro-abortion side of the debate has propagated a series of absurd claims of what a post Roe world would look like. It claims by reversing Roe, women will end up dying from coat hanger abortions, the world will become overpopulated, and women will simply be left alone to fend for themselves. I am writing to dispel some of these myths, to explain what a post-Roe America would actually look like, and discuss the next steps that will be taken by the pro-life generation to help women and their children in this next chapter of our nation’s history.

For 49 years, Roe v. Wade – in combination with Doe v. Bolton – has protected abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. This has made it illegal for states to restrict abortion before viability (considered to be around 24 weeks). These decisions were affirmed in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992. However, this year, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health is challenging the constitutionality of the Mississippi ban on abortion after 15 weeks – pre-viability. In this case, the court must review whether the right to an abortion pre-viability is protected in the constitution. It is the hope of many in the pro-life movement that Dobbs will be the final nail in the coffin, and Roe will never see its 50th anniversary. 

Myth #1: Legal Abortion Makes Abortion Rare

Actually, after Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973, abortion rates skyrocketed, topping out in 1980 at 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women. Since Roe, the number of abortions each year in the U.S. averages over 1 million, which is exponentially higher than abortion rates before 1973. Many claim that Planned Parenthood’s goal is to make abortion “safe, legal, and rare” but we see in their annual report that as funding increases, so do abortion services – even while real medical services decrease. It is clear that making abortion legal did not make it rare, as pro-choicers so often preach, which removes any credibility it lends as an argument for legal abortion.

Myth #2: Legal Abortion Makes Abortion Safe

Firstly, abortion is never safe. In every successful abortion, at least one life is ended. In addition to killing a child, abortion is extremely unsafe for women. It has been found that “immediate medical complications affect approximately 10 percent of women undergoing abortions, and approximately one-fifth of these complications are life threatening.” The abortion industry is also notorious for having its facilities going uninspected, leading to cases where women are physically harmed during and after the process. Sometimes the lack of regulations can even cause death of the mother, like in the case of Karnamaya Mongar who died of an overdose on painkillers administered by untrained employees at an uninspected aborion facility in Pennsylvania. 

Myth #3: Women Will Be Punished for Abortion or Miscarriage

Pre-Roe and post-Roe this claim is nothing but a myth. Even pro-abortion author, Leslie Reagan, said in her book When Abortion Was a Crime “that states did not prosecute women for their abortions” and concedes that “the purpose behind that law was not to degrade women but to protect them.” The pro-life movement knows that the woman is the second victim in abortion and does everything in their power to help and protect them. Abortion bans routinely contain clauses explicitly protecting women. For example, Louisiana’s abortion ban states: “nothing in this section may be construed to subject the pregnant mother upon whom any abortion is performed or attempted to any criminal conviction and penalty.” Not a single woman has ever been legally punished for abortion.

Myth #4: Women Will Be Abandoned

Pro-lifers know that women who choose abortion typically do so because they feel they have no other options. This means that with an increase in abortion restrictions, there is an increase in resources to support women and their families. States that are passing pro-life legislation are also focusing on supporting women. Texas, for example, has invested $100 million into their Alternatives to Abortion Program in addition to the 75+ organizations that already exist to financially support women. Across the country, there are resources and support available to help women with whatever they need; you can even find resources in your area through Standing With You. Standing With You empowers women to choose life by connecting them with local resources they need and informs them of their Title IX rights to prevent discrimination on campus and in the workplace. The pro-life generation is ready and willing to authentically and fully support women with no strings attached – as they have been doing all along. The moral of the story is that women don’t need abortion to succeed; they need someone to believe in them and genuine resources that will actually help their situation.

The fears of pro-choice Americans are simply not warranted. In the 26 states that will likely enact reasonable restrictions on abortion as soon as Dobbs is decided, there will be a shift in focus from winning legislative battles to supporting organizations that help women and their children. A post-Roe America is a bright future we should look forward to.