Happy 40th: 5 Ways Roe v. Wade is Undermined in MS
January 21, 2013Tuesday, January 22 marks the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade — the monumental court decision, which extends the privacy clause of the 14th Amendment to include a woman’s right to have an abortion. However, the ambiguity of the court decision has caused a 40-year upheaval as to the extent to which abortion should be legal, the deciders of said legality, and the extent to which personal and religious beliefs should influence such legal matters. As a Mississippian, displaced in North Carolina, I have watched government officials, church leaders, anti-choice activists, and citizens fight tirelessly to criminalize abortion in my home state. So though I am grateful for what this day symbolizes and the great impact this decision has had for women across the nation, I can’t help but find it bittersweet. Mississippi continues to be a battleground over women’s rights, but discourse (and even activism) surrounding the state too often implies that it is “backwards.” We sorely lack meaningful and sustainable help that heals the people who are most hurt by our legislative body: poor families of color.