What is the Supreme Court thinking?!?
It’s a fact most elementary school students know. The United States is divided into three branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial. Put simply, there is Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court, which are supposed to work together to maintain balanced power. In the span of less than a month, there have been three life altering decisions made by the Supreme Court regarding healthcare, gun laws, and the environment. While the Biden administration is trying to do something, is it enough? Let’s look at the decisions one by one.
On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Since 1973, Roe v. Wade allowed women not only the rights to an abortion but much more too. It reaffirmed rights related to contraception and procreation, marriage, family relations, child rearing, and intimacy. Abortions were conducted long before they were protected by federal law - except they were unsafe. At least 22,800 women die each year from unsafe abortions, acording to a 2018 report from Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and policy nonprofit. By overturning Roe v Wade, people who do not have access to legal abortions in their state will likely turn to illegal/untraditional methods again, putting their health and life at risk. It is understandable for someone to object to abortion on a perosnal level, as different individuals humanize fetuses to different extents. But removing the federal protection of abortion allows for a small group of elected officials to impose their personal morals onto entire states. Abortion will never be the option that everyone chooses, but it should always be one of the options available.
It is no secret that the United States has a long history with firearms. Kids are growing up in a world where shootings are normal. There is a constant fear in the back of people’s heads, wondering if they will be the next innocent victim of gun violence. The United States should be trying to make it harder to have a firearm, not easier. There have been over 300 mass shootings in the US this year according to Gun Violence Archive (GVA). According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a total of 45,222 people died from gun-related injuries of all causes during 2020. Yet on June 23, in a 6-3 ruling with the majority opinion delivered by Clarence Thomas, the Supreme Court overturned a 108-year-old New York law requiring residents to prove "proper cause" to carry concealed firearms in public violates the US Constitution. As a result of the ruling, Maryland, California, New Jersey, Hawaii and Massachusetts, also have to revisit their firearms laws. Is loosening gun restrictions what we really want?
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was founded in 1970. It is tasked with all of the country’s environment protection matters. Yet on June 30th, 2022, the Supreme Court ruled that the EPA was going beyond their authority of regulatory mandates via the Clean Power Plan, which was established under the Obama Administration. While the Court didn’t take away all its power over greenhouse gas emission regulation, it did further limit them. What does this mean for the world? For us as the younger generation growing up amidst a climate crisis? Scientists are saying that air pollution is worse than we think. According to the World Health Organization, about seven million people die prematurely each year from diseases linked to air pollution. Last year a new record was set for highest carbon emission. According to the World Health Organization, “[the Supreme Court] slashes maximum safe levels of key pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide.” As emission rises, so does damage to the climate. This causes polar ice caps to melt which increases sea levels.
We should be aware of what is happening around us. This is our future. Some people unfortunately don’t pay much attention to politics until it’s time to elect a President. This shouldn't be the case. Everyone should be made aware of what is happening in our country and the role and responsibility of both the Court and of elected officials in working to change it. It is important to vote and understand what each candidate supports.
Amelis Gonzalez is a proud Cuban-American and a Next Gen Summer Civic Fellow. She is a rising sophomore in high school in Miami, Florida. She wants to bring awareness of problems in our society instead of letting people be brainwashed into thinking we don’t have any. She enjoys reading, dancing, and cooking.