Justice Ginsberg Warns That Abortion Is Only in Jeopardy for Poor Women

In a recent interview, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg stated that if Roe v. Wade were to be repealed, "there won’t be any real change for anyone in this audience or any daughters of anyone in this audience." Meaning, nobody privileged, with money, will ever be completely without the option of accessing an abortion. Money talks, and people with a lot of it can travel to a country where abortion is legal, or pay for a relatively safe illegal abortion.

Low-income women, however, should be gravely concerned by the possibility of an encroachment on their reproductive rights. It is poor women who don't have the luxury of flying to a more women-friendly country who will be getting the back-alley abortions, who will be using coat hangers is a desperate attempt to induce a miscarriage. These women, who are already less likely to have access to contraception and more likely to face an unwanted pregnancy they can't afford, are the ones who have to swallow the violation of their bodily integrity that is forced pregnancy. Or, they are they ones who will seek a dangerous illegal procedure within their ability to pay, and they are the ones who will die from botched procedures. Ginsberg comments hopefully, "Whatever the court may do, it’s only the poor women who will suffer. When people realize that, maybe they will have a different attitude."

Already, laws like the Hyde Amendment, which excludes abortion coverage from Medicaid (except in the case of rape, incest, or threat to the woman's life, although this is a technicality that is rarely accessible), make abortion in practice sometimes outside the reach of low-income women.

Forced pregnancy on economic grounds is a disgrace to our society. It's important to remember, when dealing with the fight for reproductive rights, that nearly half of abortions occur among poor women. And while addressing their needs includes providing better contraceptive access and sex education, and securing better financial means for them to choice to retain the pregnancy, it's vital that we speak loudly for the members of society with the least political clout to protect the sanctity of their bodies and their right to make safe decisions for themselves. The right to exercise control over one's own body shouldn't be a prerogative of the rich.

Photo credit: Intergalactic Hussy