THE INTERNATIONAL TRANSLATION OF ROE V. WADE BY SHREYA RAJAPPA @SHREYARAJAPPA A high school student living in sunny California, Shreya Rajappa enjoys writing creative non-fiction and impassioned Op-Ed articles. She credits her intersectional identity as a bisexual, feminist young woman with Indian and Sri Lankan parents for her desire to become involved in journalism to represent others who share aspects of her identity and to bring awareness to social issues involving marginalized communities. In her free time, she watches movies, takes pictures, tie-dyes clothes, and plays basketball.
22, 1973, ON January Norma McCor-
vey’s lawyer stood on the U.S. Supreme Court floor to fight for her bodily autonomy, her right to an abortion. Norma McCorvey, then known as Jane Roe, won that case, prohibiting states from restricting abortion before the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. A landmark decision making Roe v. Wade a case frequently cited on the news and known to many Americans, the legalization of abortion improved women’s health, preventing women from needing to seek out illegal, unsafe backstreet abortions or dangerously using hangars and other objects to abort their fetuses themselves at home, and furthering the modern women’s rights movement. Women in America now had decision-making power over their own bodies and lives, a power they should have had from the beginning. The good news is that America isn’t the only country finally giving women the right to choose. While occurring years and decades later, there
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ment recognized by its green handkerchiefs, symbolizing solidarity with the movement. Just as these green handkerchiefs have popped up on the After 12 hours of nail-biting bodies of people in other Latand knee-bouncing on De- in American countries like cember 30, 2020, abortion was Mexico, here’s hoping that legalized in Argentina. The Argentina’s new abortion law bill passed with a Senate vote will spread to further the proof 38 for and 28 against. The tection and rights of women bill’s passage demonstrates the in South America. unrelenting commitment of Argentina’s pro-choice sena- Inspired by Argentine legaliztors to their values since, prior ing abortion after a 15-yearto their vote, they were forced long battle, Polish activists to witness their opponents continue to build up a masdecked out in baby blue with sive protest movement in a massive fetus doll doused in post-communist Poland to refake blood in front of Con- peal Poland’s almost-complete gress. With strong support ban on abortion. Even though from the conservative nation’s Poland ruled in October 2020 progressive president, Alber- that even abortions of fetusto Fernández, the bill permits es with congenital defects or abortion for any reason up to those that are predicted to 14 weeks of pregnancy and in die upon birth or shortly afthe cases of rape or health is- ter were illegal, Poland’s prosues afterward. Even though choice activists are demanding the senators stepped up to the legalization of abortion the plate to deliver the posi- for any reason up until the tive change Latin American 12th week of pregnancy and women needed, the real credit the financial contribution of goes to Argentina’s feminist the national health system to and abortion-rights move- fund the medical procedures. have been abortion rights movements in other continents— and they’re gaining speed.
