In early May of this year, a draft of an opinion overruling Roe v. Wade, written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, was leaked. In light of this new development, heartbreaking stories like that of an unwanted pregnancy causing a teen to drop out of school have reentered the national spotlight. A wave of justified panic has spread across our entire nation. An overturn of Roe v. Wade would still be detrimental to women everywhere. Abortion rights and access to birth control are just as important at PHS as they are anywhere else. Princeton residents must stand together in fighting to prevent the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

Roe v. Wade was a 1973 Supreme Court decision which guaranteed a woman’s right to abort in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy, ruling state bans on such abortions unconstitutional. The court ruling has been a consistent guarantee of women’s bodily autonomy with regards to pregnancy for decades. However, this may now all disappear. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, New Jersey, is unlikely to ban abortion. But that is not at all to say that New Jersey and PHS would be unaffected by the decision. Quite the opposite is true. From 2016–2020, Mercer County has had the third-highest teen birth rate of all New Jersey counties, according to the New Jersey State Health Assessment. The vast majority of teen births are unwanted. This is unacceptable; every unwanted pregnancy is a life turned upside down.

To reduce the high rates of unwanted teen pregnancies in Mercer County, abortions must be destigmatized and made more accessible. Overturning Roe v. Wade would do just the opposite. By demonizing abortion, the Supreme Court would be discouraging teens with unwanted pregnancies from seeking the help that they require. Those who choose to seek an abortion should not be burdened with shame, especially if they haven’t reached adulthood. A ruling overturn would only increase the rate of unintended births in our town and county.

As a community, PHS should advocate for abortion rights on a state, national, and global level. There are thousands of young people each year who end up carrying a child they aren’t ready to care for. They either raise it anyway, which often results in large economic burdens, or put it up for adoption or foster care, which can be a traumatic experience for both parent and child. These orphaned children often face neglect and a reduced quality of life. Without the care of a parent, they are at higher risk of developing mental health issues.

In the case that Roe v. Wade is overturned, 26 states are likely to ban abortion, according to a 2021 survey by Guttmacher Institute. This is a human rights crisis. New Jersey, as a state where abortion would still be accessible, has the responsibility of helping women from other states obtain abortions. Demand for abortions within New Jersey will increase as patients cross state lines to attain them. It is necessary that we strengthen our abortion infrastructure to handle this influx and maintain accessibility.

The Princeton community can hold a lot of power in this fight. A good way to start might be to spread awareness within our town. For example, a petition to include an abortion rights article in the Princeton Patch, or a petition to the University to make a statement. We can also encourage friends and family to donate to organizations like Planned Parenthood that provide abortions. If like-minded people of this age can come together and demand change, we may be able to mobilize our entire community for pro-choice activism.

It should go without saying that the doctrine of states’ rights does not justify the restriction of citizens’ basic bodily freedoms. It is not a state’s right to decide whether or not a person can seek an abortion. No one, in power or otherwise, should have a say about what other people do with their bodies. However, since it is the politicians who are in power, we need to make it clear to them that access to abortion is a human right. The PHS community must stand up on behalf of those who cannot do so themselves.