Recently, we saw the Supreme Court reverse its Roe v. Wade decision, stating that abortion was not a constitutional right as an earlier court wrongfully decided. The court decision did not ban abortion, but merely stated that it was a procedure that is to be regulated by the various states. The high court decided that the previous court decision was not well grounded in the Constitution. That was even a view held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, who often expressed her fear that Roe v. Wade could be overturned for lack of constitutional foundation. And that is exactly what happened.
Ever since the court overturned Roe v. Wade, the left has been carrying out a fraudulent campaign narrative for political benefit and money. They claim that the court decision has had a devastating impact on virtually every woman in America in terms of access to healthcare.
First of all, abortion is not a healthcare issue. In the vast majority of abortions, the mother and the developing human being are healthy. Abortion is a medical procedure based largely on economics, convenience and personal desire. It is not more a health issue – with very rare exceptions – than cosmetic surgery. And where it does have health implications, most pro-lifers and most laws recognize exceptions for the life of the mother, the health of the fetus, rape and incest.
In terms of access to abortion, the Draconian anecdotal reports are totally deceptive. The impact of overturning Roe is significantly less than pro-abortion activists and the news media would have you believe. Quite the opposite.
Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, I wrote a commentary suggesting that the impact would be minimal. My reasoning was based on the fact that most abortions happen in the most populous states for two reasons. There are more women in those states. Almost 66 percent of American women currently live in states without abortion restrictions. The women in the large states also tend to be more progressive – more likely to have abortions.
My reasoning has been borne out by the data. Are you ready to be shocked?
Grutzmacher Institute showed 930,160 abortions in the United States in 2020 – prior to the decision. In 2023 – the full calendar year after the decision – Grutzmacher reported 1,037,000 abortions. The overturning of Roe v. Wade had no discernible impact on the number or the trajectory of abortions in America.
That is because the Supreme Court did not ban abortions or make them illegal – as many folks are led to believe. It did not legislate the issue – which would have been inappropriate. That is the function of the Congress and the President. That is why there is a national debate over a LAW to ban abortions. Abortion advocates raise a lot of money to lobby against such a law even though the chance of such a ban being passed by Congress is less than nil.
The Supreme Court merely said that abortion is NOT a constitutional right any more than an appendectomy. Even less so, since the only threat to health and life in an abortion is from the procedure itself, and to the unborn person.
It was always an option to travel to an abortion-friendly state. While the abortion-on-demand lobby publicizes a handful of hardship cases out of the one million-plus abortions, the fact remains that traveling to a neighboring state is inconvenient, but not a hardship for most women seeking an abortion.
All the drama and theatrics over the overturning of Roe v. Wade is mostly political hyperbole – and the numbers prove it.
So, there ‘tis.