17 tweets to shine a light on the importance of Roe v. Wade, 45 years later.
The fight is far from over.
It's been 45 years since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling, but somehow, the fight over abortion rages on today.
Far from the settled subject one might be led to believe, abortion remains a contentious issue and a driving force in politics. As president, Donald Trump has led the fight against abortion rights, appointing a number of extremist anti-choice judges to federal courts and delivering remarks at the anti-choice "March for Life."
Still, a majority of Americans believe abortion should be legal — a 2017 Pew survey found that 57% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in "all or most cases," with just 16% of those polled saying they believe it should be made illegal.
Abortion rights demonstrators marched through New York in 1977. Photo by Peter Keegan/Keystone/Getty Images.
Roe v. Wade marked an important milestone in reproductive health, and pro-choice groups and individuals took to social media to celebrate the occasion.
Planned Parenthood highlighted the fact that the case was argued by then-27-year-old Sarah Weddington, who made history as the youngest person to argue a successful Supreme Court case.
Sarah Weddington was 27 when she argued Roe v. Wade — the youngest person ever to win in the Supreme Court. Today… https://t.co/MTFqvs0Ajb— Planned Parenthood (@Planned Parenthood) 1516633090
The Center for Reproductive Rights shared a video highlighting the fight for reproductive justice and sharing the stories of individuals who've had abortions.
One year into Trump’s presidency, our reproductive rights are potentially more at risk than ever. This week, with… https://t.co/Iw5hL9Ln4E— Center for Reproductive Rights (@Center for Reproductive Rights) 1516635351
The most heartfelt tweets, however, were those from individuals.
Writers Maureen Shaw and Jessica Valenti opened up about their abortions.
Because abortion is a common, legal medical procedure, yet it is the only form of healthcare vilified and under att… https://t.co/3ILUWbSMqL— maureenshaw (@maureenshaw) 1516629408
Author Jennifer Wright joked about the Trump administration's recent anti-trans and anti-abortion "moral objections" policy at the Department of Health and Human Services. More seriously, she offered her thoughts on what an abortion "might make possible" for those who need it.
Make the Handmaid’s Tale fiction again. #7in10forRoe https://t.co/jyTIPNHg81— Jennifer Wright (@Jennifer Wright) 1516632698
I desperately want to become a mother. But I do not think that becoming a mother is a fundamentally more valuable c… https://t.co/VLvDYHlzoC— Jennifer Wright (@Jennifer Wright) 1516639411
NARAL Pro-Choice America president Ilyse Hogue dropped a hard truth: Criminalizing abortions doesn't eliminate them; it only makes them more dangerous.
#7in10forRoe because everywhere abortion is illegal or inaccessible, the number of abortions don’t go down but the… https://t.co/2gGuoYEwVu— Ilyse Hogue (@Ilyse Hogue) 1516635763
Others called out the Trump administration's hypocrisy, noting that self-described "small government" politicians had a tendency to be a little too interested in micromanaging what someone does with their uterus, or made the (very reasonable) suggestion that we base public policy on things like science.
Strategically placing women in WH/Trump's Cabinet doesn't mean we are blind to the attack on women's reproductive r… https://t.co/J1p5ZhBwxB— nicki 🌊 (@nicki 🌊) 1516632306
I am one of the #7in10forRoe because science, not beliefs, should inform government regulation. Abortion is a safe… https://t.co/BhSDKcjnPN— Aditi Juneja (@Aditi Juneja) 1516632823
I’m one of #7in10ForRoe because a woman knows whether or not she’s capable of being a mother, not male politicians… https://t.co/j1kv9n5N1D— Laurie B. (@Laurie B.) 1516629071
Others pointed to some underappreciated aspects of legal abortion: In some cases, it's life-saving.
When writer Mary Elizabeth Williams was diagnosed with cancer, she had to sign a consent form acknowledging that if she became pregnant, she would need to stop treatment.
"I also used birth control, of course, but nothing is foolproof, and rape sometimes happens, too," she wrote in a Twitter direct message. "For what it's worth, any other time in my life, any, I'd found myself pregnant, I would have continued with it ... But leave my kids without a mom or have an abortion? That would have been a no-brainer."
The truth is, as many pointed out, that reproductive health care (including abortion) is health care.
You wouldn't think this would be a controversial thing to say, but you'd be wrong (which is why it's so important to say it).
I believe a person can make their own decisions regarding their healthcare. And I don’t want to give that right awa… https://t.co/oV9Hhl9frO— Piper Perabo (@Piper Perabo) 1516629009
MY BODY MY CHOICE. No one, especially not an old white Republican man, is gonna tell me what I can & can’t do with… https://t.co/KDlYS2CkP8— Tara Dublin (Taylor's Version) (@Tara Dublin (Taylor's Version)) 1516638028
"Every child should be a wanted child," another Twitter user added. "Every parent should be a willing parent."
Every child should be a wanted child. Every parent should be a willing parent. And women and our doctors are the on… https://t.co/SUUiA2HyVq— Shockratees 🇺🇸🏳️🌈 (@Shockratees 🇺🇸🏳️🌈) 1516628539
Writer and editor Evette Dionne correctly pointed out that "political attacks on abortion are intimately connected to a lack of access to contraception, sex education, and government assistance."
"It is a means of shaming the poor, particularly poor women of color," she added. "We will not go back."
I am one of the #7in10forRoe because I recognize that political attacks on abortion are intimately connected to lac… https://t.co/B3IeQNMVCS— Evette Dionne (@Evette Dionne) 1516628896
As long as abortion rights are under attack, it's important that we amplify the voices of reproductive justice.
We may be 45 years into the fight, but it's far from over.
An abortion rights demonstrator holds a sign outside the Supreme Court. Photo by Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images.