By Sylvia Dunnavant Hines
The Texas Metro News
After the Supreme Court voted on June 24 to overturn the historical ruling of Roe v. Wade there has been a public outcry, protests, and political commentary from across the country, and around the world, as both sides of the abortion issue weigh in on what is next.
Prolife and pro-choice advocates have taken to the streets to voice their opinions about the reversal of the ruling which declared the Constitution of the United States protects the liberty of a woman to choose to have an abortion during the first two trimesters of pregnancy.
“The first thought that came to my mind after hearing about the Supreme Court’s ruling, was that I couldn’t believe they really did it,” said State Representative Toni Rose, who represents District 110 which includes the communities of Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove and Balch Springs in Dallas County. “I knew that their decision would have a huge impact on women, especially Black women.”
Representative Rose’s legislative focus has been ensuring that women receive the health care that they need after giving birth. One of her recent accomplishments has been expanding Medicaid Health care benefits for women after childbirth from two to six months.
“My prayer is that no woman would have to have an abortion, but I just don’t believe that government has the right to dictate this issue. This decision should be made between a woman, her doctor, and her God,” said Rep. Rose.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in 2019, there were 11.4 abortions in the U.S. per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44. (That figure excludes California, Maryland, New Hampshire, and the District of Columbia).
“Women are still going to have abortions. The people that are going to be impacted are those people who don’t have the resources to go to another state to have a safe abortion,” said Rose.
Rose predicts that the loss of federal protected abortions will cause women to revert to going underground to seek assistance in terminating unwanted pregnancies.
In the absence of safe abortions, history has painted a dark picture of women seeking self-induced methods to terminate their pregnancies which include hangers, the ingestions of toxins such as bleach, or falling to cause trauma to the fetus. Although some of these efforts might not be successful, they could cause lasting damage or even death, according to experts.
Prior to Roe v. Wade, the CDC reported that the mortality rate due to illegal abortions for non-white women was 12 times higher than that of white women.
“After hearing about the Supreme Court’s decision, I knew that it was just the beginning for the potential of the voice of the human being to be taken away,” said Nakia Davis, founder of Heels on the Move to Heal, a Dallas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to spreading awareness and education on sexual assault, domestic abuse, and human trafficking.
Davis was the victim of a rape as a teenager and that act resulted in a pregnancy, so she is well aware of how important it is being able to take advantage of a safe abortion.
“Although I am 100 percent prolife, I still believe that we as individuals should have the right to control our own lives and control our destiny,” said Davis, who as a minor had no choice in the reproductive decisions that was made after her rape. “This includes whatever path God has for us to walk down. I believe that in taking the right away from a person to decide about their lives, we are falling down a dark path.”
Today Davis, also known as “Kia D,” is a source of inspiration and support for others because she didn’t let her circumstances ruin her life. Armed with several degrees, including a Ph.D. in Psychology, the mother of two, who just celebrated her one year wedding anniversary on July 4, 2022 is a voice for women and has actually created a digital radio platform; where she is also a talk show host, sharing information and empowering listeners.
Based on previous statistics, Rose says the recent high court’s decision will impact Black women, women of color and poor women more than other groups.
“The only solution to this is voting, I know people don’t understand it but voting on all levels impacts every part of our lives: the food we eat, the cars that we drive and the roads we drive on,” said Rose.
The fight for safe abortions is now left to individual states. Some states have already banned abortions with no exception for incest or rape, and this includes Texas.
“We will not be able to make the necessary policies and changes, if we don’t have the numbers,” said Rose, who is committed to using her legislative voice to be effective on women’s health issues. “We don’t have the numbers in some areas that we should have because people don’t come out to vote. We are going to do all we can to fight. We must get our community to understand how not voting impacts the community.”
Rose believes that the inability to terminate unwanted pregnancies will lower the rate of high school completion, increase single mothers, and raise the rate of premature births.
The CDC currently estimates 700 women in the US die from pregnancy-related complications. Based on their records a full-term pregnancy is more dangerous than a medical abortion. They also reported Black women experience maternal mortality two to three times higher than White women.
According to Guttmather Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, some 40 million women of child-bearing age will live in states where abortion will become more difficult to access.
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