The Fall of Roe v. Wade is About Coercive Reproductive Labor

As we brace for a regression in abortion rights, we have to reckon with what coercive pregnancies mean in white supremacist capitalism.

Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash. Sign reads “My body, my choice.”

Donald Trump was clear about his intentions to appoint three conservative Supreme Court justices while he was in office: he wanted them to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 precedent that established a constitutional right to abortion. Last week, when the court heard arguments that could strike down the constitutional right to abortion, people with uteruses had a rude awakening that Trump may have succeeded. According to predictions published in the media, 26 states are certain or likely to ban abortion if Roe is overturned and 13 states have trigger laws in place that will immediately ban abortion.

Overturning Roe could potentially change the lives of millions of Americans, and not for the better. According to a study published in 2017, women who are denied an abortion were more likely to experience economic hardship than women who had access to the procedure. The study concludes that laws that restrict access to abortion may result in worsened economic outcomes for women, and that these effects might take years to shake off. Already existing restrictions prevent many working class and racialized…