How We Should Observe International Women’s Day

In 1973, Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 and Doe v. Bolton, 410 U.S. 179 expanded women’s rights when the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the Constitution protects women’s right to terminate an early pregnancy, thus making abortion legal in the U.S. However, in 2022, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, 597 U.S. ___ (2022) saw the Supreme Court overrule both Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, determining that the Constitution of the United States does not confer any right to abortion returning abortion regulation to the states. It’s just one of the many rights being compromised that are concerning women this International Women’s Day.

Women have come a long way throughout history, from the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote (which was taken away in 1777) to the passing of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) in 1974 that opened the door for women to get their own credit cards in their own name, and to the establishment of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program. Although we have seen setbacks in the past, the most recent setback at the constitutional level should still give U.S. society some pause.

Everyone should use today as a reminder to take action by voicing their opinion and learning about the history of the women’s rights…