Roe V. Wade Pros And Cons

When considering the benefits of the historical Roe v Wade Supreme Court case, one of the most obvious benefits is one of the most important: women’s health. Women’s reproductive health has been greatly improved through the legalization of abortion made possible because of Roe v Wade. It is important to understand that even before Roe legalized abortion, “many unqualified people set themselves up as abortion providers, using unsafe methods and unsanitary facilities, based solely on their desire to profit from the outlawed procedure” (Anderson). Because abortion was illegal prior to Roe, many women were being harmed for exercising control over their bodies due to their only option being uncertified, often unsafe procedures. However, now that …show more content…
The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, and in the past when abortion was illegal, many women were driven to dangerous methods in order to control their own bodies. Overturning this historic court case will not cause America to see a decrease in abortion, it will only cause it to see an increase in abortion-related injuries and deaths. This is proof that Roe benefitted women’s health because without it, their only option will be to turn toward dangerous methods which can lead to permanent damage to the body or reproductive system, or even death. Roe v Wade has given women complete control of how many children they have, and how often they have them. This freedom for women to be able to choose how to plan their life and family has provided many benefits for children a woman already has, or children she plans to have in the future. It makes fundamental sense that if a woman already has a child and cannot afford another, but is forced to because she has no other options, then her and her other child will now struggle financially. Because of Roe v Wade, this does not have to become a reality in …show more content…
In the past, the patriarchal society that essentially controls a large amount of American culture has attempted to control women as much as possible. However, the passage of Roe was progress in “recognizing women 's sexual and reproductive autonomy” which, “contradicts long-standing social norms that render women subordinate to men in their families and communities” (Center For Reproductive Rights). For a large part of history, women have been considered second-class citizens when compared to their male counterparts. The legalization of abortion gave women complete control of their own reproductive health for the first time, thus making a statement to society that women are able to independently make decisions about their own life. Historically, an “unwillingness to allow women to make decisions about their own bodies often coincides with the tendency to deny women decision-making roles in the areas of political, economic, social, and cultural affairs” (Center For Reproductive Rights). If women are not allowed to make decisions about something as integral and personal as their own reproductive system and their family, then why would society allow them to have a say in other aspects of culture? When women are not given control of the most basic things in their lives, other freedoms can so easily be taken away from