Seniors Weigh Importance of Colleges’ Location After Roe Falls

With the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that enshrined abortion rights in the Constitution, states can now decide abortion legality on an individual basis. Has the Roe overturn affected seniors’ decision-making regarding where they want to spend their next four years? 

The Supreme Court reversed Roe on June 24, 2022, past the May 1 deadline for the class of 2022’s college decisions. Numerous states where recent alums attend college have banned abortion as of mid-September: According to The New York Times, these states include: Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Missouri. This college application cycle, the reversal has impacted seniors’ college lists to a degree. 

A senior at the School, Darby Harrison, believes prejudiced social norms against those with her sexuality are more prevalent in the states that have limited or banned abortion. Subsequently, she has not considered many colleges in areas with current abortion bans. Harrison states that the Supreme Court’s decision “put the final nail in the coffin for…potential schools” in those states. 

Fellow senior Christina Harrah had considered applying to several colleges in states that have now restricted abortion, including Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia; Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri; and Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Upon reflection though, Harrah finds it “disturbing” that these states’ bans infringe upon women’s bodily autonomy, “robb[ing] women of a choice.” Like Harrison, she has since ruled out colleges in these states. 

In contrast, the legality of abortion in California, along with financial resources, provide a safety net for a few students at the School. Senior Ai-li Baird finds California’s abortion laws “comforting,” and yet she is “still planning to apply to…schools in the South [and in other] states where abortion is now illegal.” Echoing Baird’s perspective, senior Alex Yu comments that she feels “fortunate enough that if the need does arise,” she could “travel to another state” without an abortion ban, such as her home state of California.

The School’s College Counseling Office (CCO) comments that “a small number of students” have raised concerns to them about Roe’s overturn. Historically, the School’s students tend to apply to more schools on the East and West coasts, especially the Northeast, which might contribute to this smaller amount. 

If any students want to have an ongoing discussion, the CCO, along with the affinity and alliance space, Women’s Affinity Group, both invite students to their spaces for conversation. Only three or so months have passed since Roe’s overturn. However, given the higher rates of sexual assault and unintended pregnancy on college campuses according to the National Institute of Justice, this ruling will likely have adverse effects on students’ mental and physical wellbeing for years to come.