There was a moment of tension at the beginning of the 1970 movie “Airport.” A character portrayed by Dean Martin impregnated the character portrayed by Jacqueline Bisset. No problem said the man, we’ll simply fly to Sweden for the abortion. That was the reality for people of means over 50 years ago when abortion was outlawed in all but a couple of states prior 1973.

With the release of Supreme Court associate justice Samuel Alito’s draft majority opinion concerning the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision overturning most anti-abortion laws, certain segments of society may experience an upheaval in their lives. If this leaked draft does not change when the actual decision is released this summer, 26 states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion access. But these laws will not affect the wealthy, like the scenario shown in the fictional movie, such people will simply flout the law and travel outside the U.S. to have an abortion.

But what about the rest of society? A pregnant woman traveling to another state that has not criminalized abortion could put her safety and security at risk when abortion bounty hunters are on the prowl. Since the passing of the Texas Heartbeat Act, which bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, any Texas resident with an itch for extra cash can sue a pregnant woman or any other person with even the remotest connection to a woman’s effort to obtain an abortion.

Imagine a poor pregnant woman with an ectopic pregnancy residing in a state that has criminalized abortion without exceptions. In this situation, the fertilized egg cannot survive and the woman would almost certainly die an agonizing death. This is the future of medical care for the poor and middle-class in America.

James N. Bragge

Carlton