Supreme Court out of touch with American public

was written 236 years ago, and a lot has changed since then.

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With a conservative majority of 6-3, the United States Supreme Court has wasted no time curtailing minority rights in a country that had worked so hard to make progress in the first place.

Perhaps most infamously in the past couple of years was the 2023 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case, in which the Supreme Court determined, “The Constitution does not confer a right to abortion.”

The syllabus released by the Supreme Court regarding the Dobbs decision makes a number of claims regarding the rights of citizens that are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. Abortion, of course, is never mentioned in the Constitution.

The Constitution was originally meant to be a “living and breathing document.”

Case in point, the right to internet access or the use of drones is never mentioned either. It is important to remember that the original Constitution

The Dobbs syllabus also says, “The authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.” While wrapped in nice semantics, there is no authority conferred to the people.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 13 states had “trigger laws” that would automatically ban abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Much of what Roe v. Wade and another abortion-related case, Planned Parenthood v. Casey, rested upon was the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause.

The due process clause says, “No person shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.’” In the Dobbs syllabus, the Supreme Court makes the unsubstantiated claim that this clause has “long been controversial.”

Now, the Guttmacher Institute classifies 34 states as having at least some restrictions on abortion, if not outlawing it almost completely. Using population numbers from 2021, this puts approximately 60.5 percent, or over 200 million people, in states where abortion has been restricted.

Justice Clarence Thomas has made mention of looking into other due process cases, such as the right to same-sex marriage.

Recently, the Supreme Court decided in 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis that a Christian Colorado web designer did not have to create a website for a same-sex couple.

What is even more alarming about this case – besides the Court’s endorsement of discrimination based on sexual orientation – is that there are growing allegations that the case was a sham.

The client, referred to as “Stewart,” said he was unaware he was involved in this case and never made the 2017 request for a wedding website, according to NPR.

In addition, Lorie Smith, who runs 303 Creative LLC, was not offering website design services at the time the suit was filed.

Perhaps most striking of all is that “Stewart” has “been happily married to a woman for the last 15 years.”

The Supreme Court of the United States has been hijacked by blatant conservative agendas that threaten the rights of millions of people across the country.

For those who disagree with the Court’s rulings, silence only helps them. Write letters, post on social media, start petitions and speak out against the reversal of progress we’ve worked so hard to achieve.

For those who agree with the Court’s rulings, take a look in the mirror and imagine a life where your very identity is criminalized by the government.

Imagine not being able to marry the person you love, go shopping or receive medical care. Imagine not being allowed to receive an education just because of the color of your skin or who you are attracted to.

Difference is what makes humanity interesting — diversity should be celebrated, not squashed in the name of an unseen deity’s morals.

Going into debt for a college degree should not be normalized

The United States is notorious for its debt problems. Debt impacts every aspect of American lives, from house loans to credit card debt. It continues with our education system, and it affects students the most.

Have we taken a look back and asked ourselves, why is this the way it has to be? It is a normal occurrence for students to take out a $30,000 loan to get a bachelor’s degree. Why do I have to fight with the Free Application for Student Aid every year to get financial aid?

There must be a better way to fund your education.

The answer, as always, is politics.

Before the 1960s tuition was significantly lower than it is today. Politicians like Ronald Reagan took away state funding for public institutions and forced them to charge higher tuition, which led to massive student debt for future students.

As Biden’s student loan forgiveness, a plan to forgive up to 441 billion dollars in federal student debt falls through once again, it may seem there is no way out. We are sitting with held breath as we pray that we can have something go for us. But, it seems the politicians who are supposed to be fighting for our country in order for us to live normally are failing left and right.

As the cost of living skyrockets, many people’s wages are staying the same. As tuition increases, loans and financial aid are harder to get. Many people cannot pay tuition in payments because the amount is way too much. Students work multiple jobs to stay afloat. Students crash and burn because they cannot focus on school because they are so worried about finances. Worried about getting charged for extra things they may not need, including health insurance. This is counterproductive to what college is supposed to be for young adults. Having to fight tooth and nail to go to school should not be normal.

Getting higher education should be something to celebrate, but we are too busy emailing financial advisors and applying for loans we know we won’t get. The only way to fix this is to redo it. Round up the colleges and loan agencies and make a plan. Hold the people in charge of higher education accountable for their greed. Get angry at the circumstances that put us here.

If you want to take individual action, get in contact with your representatives and tell them how you feel.

Making college accessible to all is a goal everyone should have.

July is Disability Pride Month, a month to acknowledge and celebrate the accomplishments of disabled people while also acknowledging the barriers and struggles that still exist within society. Disability Pride Month was first acknowledged in 2015, marking the 25year anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act.

Trigger Warning: Several of the books feature themes such as suicide, PTSD and ableism.

Fiction

“Six

of Crows,”

Leigh Bardugo

Probably the most popular book on this list, Six of Crows is part of the universe of the Shadow and Bone television show. The book has multiple instances of disability; the main male lead, Kaz, has a physical disability, which results in his use of a cane throughout the series. He also has undergone serious trauma, resulting in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and while the book never uses the term, it is clear that is what the author intended. The book creates an elaborate fantasy world that expands beyond the character’s disabilities, while still exploring the complexities of leadership with disabilities.

“Get a Life, Chloe Brown,”

Talia Hibbert

“Get a Life, Chloe Brown” is a fun, fluffy romance book, which is part of the Brown sister trilogy. The main character has a chronic illness which is mostly invisible to those around her. Her love interest is quickly adored by readers as he is supportive and believes her every time her illness flares up. The book has accurate chronic illness representation with some steamy romance wrapped up in an easy afternoon read that will make your insides fuzzy.

“Turtles all the Way Down,”

John Green

An older coming-of-age book about a young girl who struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and the impact it has on her everyday life. Written by well-known author John Green, who has OCD himself, the portrayal of the illness is accurate and represented with respect, compassion and agency.

“A Time to Dance,”

Padma Venkatraman

A young adult-focused book, “A Time to Dance” focuses on the story of a classical dance prodigy in India who becomes a below-knee amputee after an accident. While the book describes her struggles to adjust to her limb difference, it also touches on societal pressures, parental expectations and normal teenage adventures. Disability representation is more than focusing on a person’s disability— it is focusing on their whole story, which is what this book does.

“It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” Ned Vizzini

A fiction account of Ned Vizzini’s young adult life, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is a darkly humorous look inside the mind of a young man suffering from severe depression. The book also touches on issues such as eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. Vizzini lost his life to suicide in 2013, but his book continues his story.

“True Biz,” Sara Nović

There is no clear consensus among the Deaf community on the use of the term ‘disability’ to describe themselves, but it is classified as a disability by the World Health Organization.

“True Biz,” written by a deaf author, is about the lives of Deaf students who just want to be teenagers, without having their parents and the government tell them what to do with their bodies. Books written by authors who are part of the community they are representing are often the best way to see an accurate portrayal of disability in the media.

“Please Read This Leaflet Carefully,” Karen Havelin

This novel slowly tracks backwards, starting in 2016 and going back to 1995, following the life of the protagonist. The lead character struggles with chronic pain, and the novel allows you to see her life as greater than just her disability, following her life story in reverse chronology and seeing her grow stronger as you read her younger and younger.

“Social Queue,” Kay Kerr

This is a romantic comedy that follows the life of a young autistic woman who learns she wasn’t unlovable; she was just unaware. Written by Kay Kerr, who was diagnosed with autism later in life, the book touches on the real-life experiences of autism and romances in her own life.

Non-fiction

“Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space,” Amanda Leduc

An academic look at the impact of fairy tales on our culture and the impact of ableism without those foundational myth, Leduc examines the connections between archetypes in fairy tales and the impacts on disabled representation in modern media.

“Spectrums: Autistic Transgender People in Their Own Words,”

Edited by Maxfield Sparrow

The book is a collection of stories of autistic transgender people from around the world. The personal essays reveal the pain and joy of living in a binary, neurotypical world as neurodivergence and gender diversity combine.

“Exile & Pride,” Eli Clare

This book is essentially a history of queer and disability politics that touches heavily on intersectionality within the human experience. Clare writes about his experience as a genderqueer activist with cerebral palsy and touches on subjects ranging from environmental destruction to disabled sexuality.

“The Collected Schizophrenias,”

Esmé Weijun Wang

Written by an author who has schizophrenia, “The Collected Schizophrenias” is a book balancing research with personal narrative, to combat and dispel misconceptions about schizophrenia.