Jan. 22, 1973. The Supreme Court made a decision in Roe v. Wade saying that the Constitution grants women the right to an abortion. On June 24 almost 50 years after the initial decision, the Court overturns this ruling, taking back standards for the states’ laws on safe access to abortion. In April 1983, wearing a hijab became mandatory for women in Iran. On March 15, the Karnataka High Court in India upheld its ban on hijab in educational institutes. 

Ironic, huh? Well, not exactly. There’s one thing all of these cases and many more have in common, choice. 

Women everywhere have been fighting to have the right to choose since the beginning of time. Especially in the circumstance of Roe v. Wade, it’s started to feel like every one step forward ends in 3 steps back. 

No one should take anything for granted, but there are certain rights we should be able to count on having without worrying about them being stripped from us in the blink of an eye. 

America. Free country, right? But is it only a free country if you’re able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual, white and a man?

In theory, it’s crazy for someone unaffected by an issue to be the deciding factor in said issue, right? In reality, that’s exactly what’s happening. What makes some old men in chairs qualified to speak on how a woman presents herself or deals with potential problems that they themselves will never have?

It’s still important to remember that this isn’t just an American fight, it’s a worldwide issue. The hijab laws in India and Iran are not the only cases of this. Saudi Arabia just lifted the ban on women drivers in 2018. 

Women being under the control of men’s choices is deeply rooted in society’s standards and structures and we see this throughout history.

Before 1974, it was impossible for women to have credit cards without permission from their husbands. Married women only started to get property ownership in 1943. Certain states refused women to be jury members until 1973. 

The next time someone tries to tell you that misogyny is a thing of the past and that everyone’s equal today, remind them that however much progress is made, there is and will continue to be inequality unless more action is taken against these injustices by the people with power.