SCOTUS finally releases *that* decision

We've been bracing for a certain U.S. Supreme Court decision. It finally dropped Friday morning. 

The Supreme Court on Friday eliminated the constitutional right to obtain an abortion (Which was never in the U.S. Constitution - ed.), casting aside 49 years of precedent that began with Roe v. Wade.

The decision by Justice Samuel Alito will set off a seismic shift in reproductive rights across the United States. It will allow states to ban abortion, and experts expect about half the states to do so.

In one of the most anticipated rulings in decades, the court overturned Roe, which first declared a constitutional right to abortion in 1973, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, which re-affirmed that right in 1992. The decision followed the leak in early May of a draft opinion showing that a majority of the justices were privately poised to take that step. On Friday, they made it official.

First off, this isn't an outright ban on abortion. It simply allows states to determine their own abortion laws. As such, Mississippi's strict abortion law (the one which ultimately led to Roe being overturned) of banning such a procedure past fifteen weeks is allowed to stand. On the other extreme, radical pro abortion legislation as passed in New York and Colorado (essentially abortion until moments before birth) will still be recognized. 

In the end, this decision isn't being made on the basis of morality as it is addressing of how Roe v. Wade was instituted (i.e. abortion as a Constitutional right). Even far left Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg acknowledged back in 2013 that, while she supported a right to an abortion, Roe itself had flaws. 

“My criticism of Roe is that it seemed to have stopped the momentum on the side of change,” Ginsburg said. She would’ve preferred that abortion rights be secured more gradually, in a process that included state legislatures and the courts, she added. Ginsburg also was troubled that the focus on Roe was on a right to privacy, rather than women’s rights.

“Roe isn’t really about the woman’s choice, is it?” Ginsburg said. “It’s about the doctor’s freedom to practice…it wasn’t woman-centered, it was physician-centered.”

Make no mistake. This decision has resulted in a seismic shift in America and thus a lot of emotion will be spilled over the weekend. While I welcome this decision, I plan to extend a lot of grace towards those who are having genuine freak outs over this. I will never understand the thought process of viewing the dismemberment of a baby as sacrosanct, but my prayer is God will allow more eyes to be opened. 

This is just the beginning of a greater awakening. 

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