We are about to see an explosion of Unintended Consequences if/when Roe is overturned. If the draft that was leaked to Politico represents the final SCOTUS decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, it will reverse Roe and Casey [click here for an explanation of those cases] and return the authority to regulate abortion to the people and their elected representatives.
Some states, have "trigger" legislation in place to make abortion illegal within their borders. Other states, are moving guarentee the right to abortion in their state's constitutions, and enact legislation to cover the costs of out-of-state abortion seekers.
One Unintended Consequence is that people in states which do NOT have defined regulations on abortion will be bombarded with abortion political campaigns. Most people want abortion to be legal for the hard cases and regulated after some point. But its all in the details -- what constitutes "a hard case"? and after what point to regulate? Anyone who is in the mushy middle is about to be heavily marketed to adopt a viewpoint.
This presents a real challenge for the pro-abortion crowd. Their appeal for legalization back in the day was "safe, legal and rare." People legalized abortion based on the exceptional and hard cases. But everyone knows we are waaaay past that now. Abortion advocates have to come up with something to persuade people to choose "on-demand, for any reason, through all 9 months" which is the current pro-choice position.
"Reproductive care is healthcare" is too Orwellian to be widely accepted. Even people who want it to remain legal, are uncomfortable with abortion as birth control, and they don't support using abortion for gender selection, racial discrimination or "designer baby" chromosonal preferences.
And then there are the Unintended Consequences of "abortion tourism." If a pregnant woman in Arkansas (where I live) decides to abort, the option of a taxpayer-funded vacation to California or New York might be very appealing. Make no mistake, an entire industry will spring up which will caters to those women (excuse me, birthing persons) now that there is less stigma attached to the procedure (thanks to "Shout Your Abortion," etc.), because there is a lot of money to be made off terminations. So while Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers are collecting their fees, the taxpayers will cover the cost of her travel, hotel, food and other amenities.
Surely there will come a point, where at least some of those taxpayers will decide they would rather NOT. There's already an exodus from Blue states toward Red states, and tax policies like these could certainly accelerate that migration. Especially among those, for instance, whose fertile days are behind them or those who take responsibility for the behavior which can produce babies.
But I can't stop thinking about the Unintended Consequences for trafficked teens. There is already a mountain of undercover video footage demonstrating the willingness of abortion providers to cover for pimps and abusers. Once the hosting state will pick up the tab for the travel, hotel, etc., there is even less incentive to get them on birth control. Why would they? If you can get the abortion for free plus pick up a check for incidentals?
Don't let anyone tell you that won't happen, because people who are willing to traffic kids not only have really low moral standards, but they absolutely see them as less than human. Breeding so you can profit off the termination isn't that much of a stretch.
Thinking about this has reminded me of a couple who came into the pregnancy center when I was a counselor. He had presuaded her to abort two previous pregnancies, and she was now pregnant with the 3rd. She wanted the baby. He did not. She learned that sometimes women who abort are unable to get pregnant again -- although it's rare and typically the result of medical mishap or cervical incompetence. But she pleaded with him that this was a real worry for her, since she really wanted to have a family with him "someday." His cold response to her fears was, "I think its worth the risk."
I watched her whole demeanor fold in on itself, like a deflated balloon. She sat there for a minute sort of absorbing what he said. And what it meant as far as his concern for her well-being or their future. And for a moment, I thought she was going to have the courage to defy him. As Oprah used to say, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." But in the end, she decided to go along with what he wanted, and they discarded that 3rd baby. Not long after that, the relationship was over. She realized he was never going to want a family with her, and she couldn't keep paying the high cost of hoping he would change his mind.
There are no words to describe the emotions that grow out of recognizing someone made a profit off those three "choices." And how far from "empowered" the betrayal of being used sexually feels. Not to mention the loss, grief and shame associated with not fighting for those little ones.
Every abortion sets in motion an avalanche of Unintended Consequences -- some we can predict with 100% certainty and others we don't even see coming until they crush us.