Editor’s note: This article discusses sexual assault. If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault, the Aurora Center’s 24-hour helpline can be reached at (612) 626-9111.

A majority of the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, a landmark decision that federally protected a woman’s right to choose to have an abortion, according to a leaked draft opinion obtained by Politico on Monday. 

If these federal protections are struck down, abortion access would be determined on a state-by-state basis. While some states and territories, including Minnesota, would continue to protect abortion by law, 23 others are likely to ban abortion immediately and nine others are slated to impose restrictions.

The release of the 98-page document comes after months of right-wing states chipping away at abortion access, most notably with Texas’ move last May to ban abortions after about six weeks, before many women are aware they are even pregnant.

This decision also marks a concerning shift in American culture. Reproductive rights–soon to be no longer protected by court precedent–are a cornerstone of female liberation. Unintended pregnancy comes with a slew of negative consequences for women, including postpartum depression and lower levels of mental well-being and life satisfaction.

But there are also consequences in the abstract. Depriving women of autonomy over their reproductive careers (or lack thereof) is hateful, put simply. Associate Justice Samuel Alito’s opinion indicates not only a blatant disregard but a disdain for women.

I am not concerned for myself. I am privileged to have had comprehensive sex-ed and access to contraceptives. I am lucky to live in Minnesota, a state that protects abortion by law. 

I am concerned for women in Michigan, in Texas and in the 30 other states and territories expected to either restrict or completely ban abortion when Roe is overturned. 

I am concerned for women living in contraceptive deserts, who don’t have the means to prevent pregnancy.

I am concerned for transgender and non-binary people who will also be adversely impacted by this decision.

I am terrified for women who will continue to get abortions, illegally and unsafely–with coathangers and catheters, or lye, or any other number of deadly implements or concoctions–the way women did before Roe.  

I am terrified for women who will be forced to carry their rapist’s children to term.

And I am disgusted by the emboldening of a fringe culture that treats women like incubators as opposed to people. And it is, indeed, fringe: 69% of Americans are against overturning Roe v. Wade, according to a CNN poll.

This decision displays hate on the part of the court, and will undoubtedly lead to the deaths of women because abortion will continue, just unsafely. 

Abortion rates are similar in countries where abortion is restricted and where it is legal, according to the Guttmacher Institute. What changes is not the frequency but the lethality of these procedures. When the United States legalized abortion nationwide in 1973, hospitilizations as a result of unsafe abortions effectively ceased. It follows that, sans Roe, we can expect this trend to reverse itself. 

If our judicial system actually cared about reducing abortion rates, they would fight to make contraceptives and comprehensive sex-ed more accessible. These are two policy changes that would address the root cause of abortion, as opposed to providing a mere bandaid solution. 

Instead, they have chosen to wage war against female bodies and autonomy, and in the process animate and embolden a loud-mouthed minority that refuses to view women as anything more complex than a potential vessel for a child.

Alito is declaring that the rights of women over their bodies are a matter of public opinion. 

For resources on taking action to protect abortion access in the United States, visit the Planned Parenthood website.