It could disrupt a lot more than abortion.
 | By Eleanor Barkhorn Editor at Large, Opinion |
How much does American society rely on abortion? This was one of the key questions in the oral arguments for Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade and lead to the end of the constitutional right to abortion. |
"The data has been very clear over the last 50 years that abortion has been critical to women's equal participation in society," said Julie Rikelman, one of the lawyers arguing in favor of abortion rights at the Dobbs hearing. |
This is an idea that many anti-abortion thinkers have focused on debunking. "Women do not 'rely' on abortion," Erika Bachiochi argued in National Review last year. Here at The Times, Ross Douthat also picked apart the idea that restricting abortion must mean fewer opportunities for women. |
But what if the modern American way of life does, in fact, owe quite a bit to abortion rights? How would that change how people who oppose abortion think about the issue? In an essay for Times Opinion this week, Matthew Walther writes that people who are pro-life like himself must accept that an America without Roe could look much different. He walks us through the areas of society that could potentially change: the economy, the environment, crime rates. |
He asks, "If you sincerely believe, as I do, that every abortion means the deliberate killing of an innocent human being, is there some hypothetical threshold for negative growth, carbon dioxide levels or work force participation rates beyond which the protection of that life would be too burdensome?" |
In other words, if you believe that abortion is wrong, you should accept the possible negative consequences of the end of Roe, rather than insisting there won't be any. It's a provocative argument, one worth reading and sitting with, whatever your views. |
Here's what we're focusing on today: |
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