Overturning Roe
In the summer of 2022, the near 50-year-old decision made in Roe v Wade that allowed for a constitutional right to abortion was overturned. This event let to an outcry— for some, it was a celebration; for others, a huge loss, and on the side of Pro-Choice it was an outcry of despair. This project looks at these two different sides of passion, and how both were affected.
“It should never have been, you know, never, never, never should have been. But I was so happy that we got it right this time and that children will be saved. You've got, you know, a heart and soul, a mind and a body. I mean, why do you deprive people from being born? There are people and don't say it's not any personhood. It is a person. I've always felt that way. I always felt it. If a baby's in the womb, it should stay there until he or she is born.”
Mary Jost, 73, runs the Focus Pregnancy Center in Rochester, New York, where she works to support and encourage young women to keep their babies in the event of a pregnancy. She survived an abortion that her mother had, though her twin did not.
“Without conversation and action is this will slip through the cracks, and become lost among the many other things that we are dealing with as a society.
All around between that child may not have, like, what they need to survive, like the basic necessities. So you either commit a felony or you subject an innocent human being to circumstances like way out of your control.”
Trevon Cordis, 23, grew up with a single mother. He feels it’s immoral to force a child into the world and into a life where they might not have what they need to survive.
“The overturning of Roe v Wade is a tremendously significant event in our nation's history. Roe v Wade is not the ending, but just the beginning, for there is still so much to do to protect helpless, voiceless pre-born children still at risk, as well as to find an abundance of ways to help women in unexpected pregnancies by fully providing all the ongoing support they will ever need to choose life.
The killings could be limited, or even some abortion mills could be put out of business.”
Father William Leone, 75, has been a priest of St. Jerome’s Church for twelve years. Through his faith he views abortion as completely immoral.
“We kind of knew it was coming after the draft leaked. But that didn't lessen the blow. There are so many things that we need to fight for to make people's lives better and children's lives better and families lives better. The one issue. The abortion issue. Fighting to bring children into this world. Who aren't going to be properly taken care of.”
Felicia Buckinger, 31, became pregnant at 16 in an unsafe household and felt abortion was the best option. She has a daughter, Harper, now that she’s in a better situation.“I guess I'd be labeled or categorized under, like, pro-choice, but my stance personally is pro-life. That being said, I don't think I could look someone in the eye who has been assaulted and tell them what to do. I think you accept your consequences. You do what you do. And a baby's life is so precious and so valuable and is just as important as anyone else's.
So the sad thing is they have no voice, you know?”
Elle Hallock, 21, started following the Christian faith in the past year. She feels it’s important that people think about these issues for themselves and not just conform to the ‘popular opinion.’
“And the fact that like, even just like, if you're in a position where you're getting an abortion, odds are it was a necessity, like most abortions are done out of necessity. Like, I hate the idea that it's like, oh, they're just doing it because it just so that they can they can keep fucking and whatever.”
David Mendez, 20, grew up in a Christian household. He feels that the changes with Roe is a failure of separating the church and state in the government.