On October 4th, the Supreme Court reconvenes to reopen the Roe. v. Wade case of 1973 and decide whether abortion is a constitutional right.

This leads us, as citizens of America, to consider how much freedom we have over our bodies.

Our country was founded on freedom. Our democratic government reflects this mentality. Our citizens have the freedom to choose. Our President, our laws, who we let into our country. We have the right to choose.

However, the recent Senate Bill 8 (SB8) abortion law passed in Texas begs the question: do we have the right to choose whether we obey our laws?

Since the time of Nixon and the Vietnam War, those with a uterus have the right to choose whether they get a safe abortion. In 1973, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the right to an abortion, without excessive government restriction, was a civil and constitutional right under the ‘right to privacy’ clause of the 14th Amendment.

Texas’ Senate Bill 8 directly contradicts this Supreme Court ruling, as the law bands abortion six weeks after the last menstrual cycle, with no exception for rape or incest. SB8 falls under the category of excessive government restriction towards abortion and is unconstitutional regarding the 14th Amendment.

In 2001, researchers John J. Donohue and Steven D. Levitt began a study of the Impact of Legalized Abortion on Crime. They found that “The cumulative impact of legalized abortion on the reduction of crime is roughly 45%”. This means that crime falls by 45% when women are given a choice, opposed to forced motherhood.

SB8 is antiquated and is an attack on women’s rights, the rights our mothers, fathers, grandfathers, and grandmothers fought for.

We must hope, protest and fight for our rights to decrease crime and increase freedom in our country. The people of the United States deserve a choice as to whether they would like to bear children, especially when considering rape and incest victims.

We will not go back to the ’70. We will fight for our rights. We will fight for our freedom.