The Supreme Court’s decision to revoke Roe v. Wade has had drastic consequences on this country and will continue to do so. The initial ruling on the case was that the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution protected a woman’s right to privacy, which included her right to have an abortion.

The Fourteenth Amendment, in a nutshell, grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States and guarantees that all citizens have “equal protection of the laws.” Additionally, “…nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” This is the exact wording included in the Amendment under the Due Process Clause. The original ruling stated that a “woman’s right to an abortion” was included under the right to privacy because of the Due Process Clause.

The Supreme Court’s decision that the Due Process Clause did not protect this right because it was not considered a right when it was ratified in 1868, and that abortion was not mentioned in U.S. law until Roe V. Wade puts other major rights in jeopardy. Clarence Thomas (Supreme Court Justice) stated that any rulings that were based on the Due Process Clause need to be relooked into. This includes contraception, same-sex relationships, and same-sex marriage. Basically, all major victories that people fought for that others oppose. Mainly, those on the Supreme Court who believe that these rights were not part of the thought process in 1868, and therefore, are not considered rights.

Rights that have been considered rights for decades are under attack, all because of several Supreme Court justices who lied in their confirmation hearings. All of the justices who voted against Roe said in their hearings that abortion and Roe v. Wade were protected by the Constitution and they would not oppose them. These were lies. Lies that affect millions of people, not just around the country, but around the world. Other countries look to the United States as one of the leaders of the world. If such a place can strip the rights from people this easily, what’s stopping other countries from doing it too? It’s multiple steps backward, and places us 50 years in the past.

What will stop the Supreme Court from overruling every case that depended on the Due Process Clause? Placing these decisions in the hands of states that are often run by people who don’t share the beliefs of the majority of the country will just result in these rights being taken away. A majority of Americans support Roe v. Wade, and our Supreme Court doesn’t represent these beliefs. They are supposed to uphold the Constitution, but disagree with previous rulings that are based on the Constitution and have been upheld for years.

For years, marginalized groups have already suffered through this, with their rights being taken away or withheld. This decision majorly affects these groups as well. It’s just another example of internalized racism and attempts to control groups that Republicans don’t like.

As these choices are made without our consent, we shouldn’t be silent. We need to stand up and make it clear that this decision was not made by the majority, but by a small minority that are forcing their beliefs on us. We can’t let this stand, and we can’t be idle. Join protests, call your congress people, and provide support to those affected by this choice. We can’t be silent, and we won’t be silent.