Experts are still discussing the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The decision means individual states can now ban abortion, which had been considered a right for decades.
Syracuse University professor of political science, Dr. Thomas Keck, said the fallout from this reversal could situate the country's abortion access as worse than before Roe v. Wade.
“We are living in a very different world with regard to economic inequality, with regard to the expansion of the carceral state, with regard to electronic surveillance, with regard to the scope and power of the anti-abortion movement. So, for these reasons, and more, I think we can anticipate that the regime of anti-abortion regulation is going to be much more aggressive than it was prior to 1973,” Keck said.
Keck broke down the impact of the court’s decision on a panel hosted by Syracuse University. Panelist Dr. Sarah Hamersma is an S.U. associate professor and Ph.D. director in public administration. She said the situation may create an unexpected opportunity for people on other sides of the abortion debate to work together.
"I think that there's a movement within those who are concerned about fetal life to say, hey, the reason that we have not been able to handle the pregnancies in our country that we have is because we don't support caregiving, we don't support birthing, we don't do what we need to do, to keep our families healthy, to keep our women healthy, and keep our children healthy. So there's a ton of nonprofit and public work to be done along those lines. And I hope that we'll do it together," Hamersma said.
Abortion is legal in New York, and state lawmakers want to ensure it’s protected under New York’s constitution. Democratic leaders aim to have it on the ballot in 2024.