Dobbs, Roe, post, pre, EC, plan b, morning after….I feel like I frequently talk in code-which I apologize for. So, let’s start with some of the basics. In June of 2022, June 24th to be exact, the United States Supreme Court issued their opinion on a specific case they heard, Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Everything since that date has been termed Post Dobbs in the reproductive health world.
Now another very important case that was intertwined into Dobbs vs. JWHO was Roe v. Wade. Roe v. Wade was a different case heard by the United States Supreme Court in which the court ruled that the United States Constitution conferred the right to have an abortion. The Dobbs decision turned over the 1973 Roe decision, with the justices arguing and conferring that abortion is not a constitutional right.
Post Roe and Post Dobbs equates to the situation we are currently in with abortion being ruled as not a constitutional right. It has now been left up to each state decide what will be legal within that state. Ultimately, making an intimate decision between an individual and their health care provider a political game. And I cannot emphasize my immense disgust and distaste for healthcare being used as a pawn in a hyper-politicized game.
What is even scarier is that Roe v. Wade is just the tip of the iceberg. There are several other cases grounded in Roe that Justice Clarence Thomas and his supporters want to attack next. Rights such as access to contraception (birth control), same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage. I feel like we have turned the clock back over a hundred years. All progress that has been made is strategically being dismantled by individuals who are not content experts and enjoy pushing their religious ideology into spaces it should not be.
Wisconsin is one state that continues to be in the spotlight in the post Dobbs world. Why? On June 24, 2022, we reverted back to an 1849 statute making abortion illegal in all cases except for the life of the mother. Who makes that decision? What vital sign has to tank before it crosses to risking the life of the mother? Goodness sakes penicillin was not even discovered until 1928…. yes 1928. 79 years after the statute was put on the books, penicillin was discovered. That is how far medicine and healthcare has come. But we are reverting back to something 79 years older than penicillin. Makes a ton of sense, doesn’t it? (insert sarcasm here).
Thankfully, in Wisconsin we have been sitting in a lame duck session. I did not ever think I would say that, but here we are. The Republican led legislature has attempted to push through strict abortion bans that would take place of the 1849 law. Governor Evers has vetoed them all. Governor Evers has attempted to push through abortion rights, the legislature has blocked them. Now I know this does not sound ideal, but at least we are not moving backwards-rather staying at status quo.