Roe Anniversary 2025

Aspen Ruhlin (they/them) Mabel Wadsworth Center Community Engagement Manager

This year would be, should be, the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade being the law of the land. While the protections of Roe were insufficient and Reproductive Justice was not realized under them, the loss of those protections is something to be mourned. Roe was the floor, not the ceiling, and while it was a rickety floor, we are certainly worse off without it.  

Those who fight against access to abortion care call themselves “pro-life,” but they are anything but. To oppose abortion access is to assert that you view pregnant people as nothing more than an incubator with legs. To oppose abortion access is to loudly and confidently state your misogyny. To oppose abortion access is to believe that the life and autonomy of a real, breathing person matters less than a theoretical life.  

It is important to note here that abortion access is always essential. Someone does not need to have a medical emergency or be a victim of sexual assault to deserve control over their body. There is no circumstance where a pregnant person does not deserve autonomy. 

Since the Supreme Court ruled on the Dobb’s decision and removed the protections of Roe in the United States, people have still had abortions. Banning abortion does not stop it from happening. It does, however, cause significant harm both in the form of criminalization and injury or death for those who can’t access the abortion care they need. We have seen people punished for self-managing abortions and for having miscarriages. Brittany Watts, a woman from Ohio, was criminalized for seeking medical care when she miscarried a pregnancy. She’s now filing a suit that argues that nurses and police conspired to fabricate evidence against her. 

We know that abortion bans kill people. Unfortunately, while we may never know all of them, the names of some of those killed by abortion bans following the Dobbs decision have started to trickle out. Every single one of these people should still be here today. 

Amber Nicole Thurman died in Georgia in 2022 only 2 weeks after the state’s abortion ban went into effect and hospital staff allowed her infection from retained fetal tissue to worsen without providing adequate medical care. It feels wrong to say that Amber left behind her young son and many loved ones, because her life was taken by a system that devalues the lives of pregnant people. 

Candi Miller, also in Georgia and only a few months later, died at home when her body did not expel all of the fetal tissue after a medication abortion, as she justifiably feared that she would not receive the medical care she needed due to Georgia’s abortion ban. Candi is mourned by her husband, two children, and other loved ones. 

Josseli Barnica died in Texas in September of 2021. While the Dobbs decision had not yet been passed down by the Supreme Court, SB8 was passed in Texas on September 1, 2021 and banned all abortion care beyond 6 weeks gestation. With Roe still considered the law of the land, Josseli was allowed to slowly die of a uterine infection when her pregnancy was no longer viable and hospital staff chose to not intervene, instead waiting for the fetal heartbeat to stop. Josseli suffered for 40 hours before finally passing. Her death bears many similarities to that of Dr. Savita Halappanavar, a dentist in Ireland who died under similar circumstances and whose death was a catalyst for abortion advocacy in the country. In 2018, abortion was legalized in Ireland by referendum vote. Josseli is mourned by her husband, daughter, and other loved ones. 

Neveah Crain, only 18-years-old, died in Texas in 2023 due to being denied abortion care. She had gone to the hospital three separate times with clear signs of a miscarriage on what was supposed to be the day of her baby shower. Neveah was not provided with adequate medical care at any point, even though the second hospital visit showed she screened positive for sepsis. Her mother begged hospital staff to do something. Neveah suffered organ failure and died after hospital staff refused to save her life. She is mourned by her boyfriend, her mother, and other loved ones. 

These are just some of the names we know. There are others who have been taken from us that we will never know the names of, and unfortunately, more who will be killed by cruel abortion bans. I have said this before, and I will say it again—there is nothing “pro-life” about being anti-abortion. Anti-abortion politicians, judges, and extremists have blood on their hands. People who are anti-abortion love to clutch their pearls about heartbeats—what about Josseli’s? What about Neveah’s and Amber’s and Candi’s? What about mine? Anti-abortion extremists are clearly not pro-life; they are pro-control. 

There is never a circumstance where someone should be denied needed care, including abortion care. This is true whether a pregnant person is carrying an unviable pregnancy, has been assaulted, or simply does not want to be pregnant. Abortion is essential and its access should never be hindered. Josseli, Amber, Candi, Neveah, and so many others should still be here. Remember their names when you see anti-abortion protestors outside of clinics or anti-abortion politicians railing against the inherent autonomy of pregnant people.