The risks and implications of a world without Roe v. Wade

[The march for reproductive rights in downtown Denver. Photo courtesy of Alexis Spittal]

On Monday, May 2, 2022, the first draft of the Supreme Court’s majority motion written by Justice Samuel Alito to overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked to the general public. The historic decision is slated to be deliberated and finalized in the coming two months. 

Roe v. Wade was a landmark lawsuit that lead to a Supreme Court ruling in 1973 that solidified a woman’s constitutional right to abortion, especially in the first trimester when a fetus lacks viability and deduced that governments could not impose a regulation that favors a fetus’s life over that of the mother. 

The case pursued was between Jane Roe (a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey) who was a 22-year-old unemployed Texan who was pregnant for the third time. Her opposition was Henry Wade, the Dallas District Attorney, who enforced the state law that abortions were only permissible to save a woman’s life. Though the court ultimately sided with Roe, she had already given birth and placed the child up for adoption.

Though this is the first change to be proposed on a national scale, this is not the first time abortion rights have been challenged in recent years. With a 5 to 4, conservative anti-abortion majority in the Supreme Court, it is believed that the turnaround with has been a long time coming.

In 2020 Louisiana proposed an abortion law that required abortion providers to have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of their clinics before they could offer the service which would have shut down all but one of the state’s abortion clinics. This was identical to a similar bill proposed in Texas in 2016.

Since the establishment of Roe v. Wade states have enacted 1,313 abortion restrictions. Between January and June 7, 2020, 561 abortion restrictions and 165 trigger bans in preparation of the overturning. 

Texas’s, “heartbeat ban” was the most strict of those enacted in recent years. This ban prohibits abortion as soon as fetal heart activity can be detected and allows anyone to sue the abortion provider or other individuals who assisted the woman in receiving the abortion financially or through transportation. 

Most women don’t find out they are pregnant until two weeks after their first missed period, which coincides with the time the heartbeat begins. Pregnancy is only detected three to four weeks from the last day of the most recent period and tests are only designed to detect human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) which is produced 6 days after fertilization.

With this potential revision of the court’s stance on a woman’s bodily autonomy, many are concerned that the precedent could lead to changing circumstances in other facets of life such as the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, and impose further racial divides. For example, the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia established a right to interracial marriage could be at risk as well.

“The overturning of Roe v. Wade means that every person who has been discriminated against and then protected by a ruling now has a new cause to worry. Women, in general, are going to continue to lose power because conservatives and liberals are being pitted against each other to make choices for every woman even when it doesn’t concern us specifically,” said Claire Broemmer, a freshman criminology student at DU.

The stigma around abortion comes largely from those that oppose it. Historically, conservatives post outside of Planned Parenthood with signs preaching “murder” and “the right to live”. The Planned Parenthood in Arvada, CO sends a disclaimer to those seeking an appointment that they often get protesters out front who have a tendency to yell and throw trash. 

“ A lot of people in my family were raised Mormon or are Mormon so most of them are anti-abortion, but a lot of times when I talk to them I feel like the difference in beliefs isn’t that stark if you take the time to understand. A lot of religious people have anti-abortion views I think because they think that people that advocate for abortions are having sex willy-nilly and not being responsible when that’s not really the case. Most of the time when I talk about abortion, I’m not even thinking about late-term abortions where the fetus would be viable at that point whereas when my dad is thinking about abortion he’s thinking of late-term,” said Annalyn Jensen, a student at Utah State University and a member of the Mormon Church. 

Such contrast in thinking is highly evident in instances such as when Republican Rep. Mike Johnson if Louisiana demanded a gynecologist give her stance on abortions “halfway out of the birth canal”.  To which she responded that such occurrences are unfathomable. 

The loss of the fight for abortion rights can inevitably influence the contraceptive market. With condoms running on average at a dollar each and birth control at $30-50, there are growing concerns about accessibility to such resources.

“I believe that the rulings in states like Texas are providing a map for the Supreme Court and other states to restrict access to basic medical care for women and trans folks. I think we will begin to see increased debates about sex education in public schools like we have been witnessing with “critical race theory.” As these white Christian nationalist trends amplify, access to accurate and vital information will become increasingly restricted from young folks,” said Taylor Wesley, Social Justice Professor at DU. 

Wesley goes on to explain that it is highly likely that this ruling was leaked as a means to dampen opposition and outrage before its official rendering with the ability to garner votes and mitigate. 

“Unfortunately, I do not believe that those in power feel like they need to listen to or follow the people at this point. For the people, by the people was always rather meaningless in terms of representation and exclusion, however, it has become increasingly devoid of meaning (especially re: material change). The wealthy/political elite (including political institutions) are not held accountable and have not been for a long time — to deleterious effect,” said Wesley. 

Though action may not create a significant impact in the minds of the Supreme Court themselves, that has not stopped many women, uterus wielding, and allied people from taking to the streets to protest.

“Overturning Roe will just cement the fact in American politics that we don’t live in a democracy and can’t trust our government as it exists to act on behalf of people and their desires and rights. The ruling would give power to the voices of an extremist minority that cares about “traditional” relations between genders, said Aidan Phillips, a freshman international studies major at DU.

Despite the constant backlash, restrictions, and opposing state rulings, Roe v. Wade has stood the test of time among other monumental court cases that dictate the sociopolitical state of the nation. In recent months, it remains to be seen just how drastically that sociopolitical climate will change. 

A Hot Take On Journalism: A Career and Professional Field Profile with Jonathan Ballew

[Image of Jonathan Ballew’s Twitter, Screenshot taken by Ally Olis]

“If you’re not pissing somebody off you’re not doing journalism you’re doing PR,” said Jonathan Ballew, a freelance reporter who formally worked for NBC Chicago and the Chicago Reporter. 

With a choppy internet connection, and a zoom call gradually ticking down from the 40 minutes mark, he discussed his start and propel into the field as a journalist, his advice for those just beginning in the job market, and the directionality of the media field in coming years. 

“It’s pretty scary to take on the institution you are a part of especially as a small cog in the machine. Try to be fearless. I loved pissing off my school. As long as you have solid reporting and solid facts don’t be afraid to publicize something because that’s what being a journalist is,” he said. 

Ballew’s first break in his career came when he wrote a story for DePaul’s student paper. He exposed the fact that the 22 million dollar naming rights deal for the new arena being built was given to Wintrust Bank due to the fact that the athletic director’s sister-in-law was a chief executive at Wintrust Bank. The school didn’t pursue any other potential sponsors.

Soon after the article was published, major sports media outlets in Chicago picked up the story and it became a prominent topic of discussion. He spoke on WGN, the local news stations, as well as the radio expanding on his findings. This was the first of many successes that came before even completing his degree. 

“Student reporters should treat themselves like reporters. If you don’t respect yourself as a reporter then no one else will. Act like you’re a professional and that will go a long way,” he said. 

The job market for those who have yet to become active members in the journalism field is rapidly changing. According to a Pew Research Center Survey, eight in ten Americans get their news from digital devices, and 86% of that statistic comes via smartphone or tablet notifications. Only 10% get information from print news sources often. 

Ballew believes that the death of print will not be seen for a long time but predicts that the future will be largely digital. He said that there is the potential for journalists to become primarily freelance and focus on creating a brand for themselves through their content and social media presence. He also explained that developing expertise within the field could be extremely beneficial with the current state of the job market. 

The Pew Research Center conducted another study that indicated that U.S. Newsrooms have seen employment fall by 57% between 2008 and 2020 while digital-native news organizations have seen considerable gains. 

“The biggest problem in legacy media dying is profits over good journalism. I personally think the future of journalism should be non-profit news or public media. We should have publicly funded media sources. Journalists need to be pursuing stories because they are important and impactful and not because it’s going to get the most views or clicks,” he said. 

Ballew goes on to explain that the Chicago Tribune is a prime example of a predominant trend in recent years within the industry where companies that own major publications begin selling them in bits and pieces to obtain the maximum amount of profit. 

“I’ve been pretty frustrated and disillusioned with the journalism industry. Not because the journalists aren’t incredible or doing great work or because it’s dying and people don’t want good journalism. It’s because greedy people are running these publications into the ground,” he said.

According to the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median pay for journalists in 2021, was $48,370 per year and there are 5,400 projected openings for news analysts, reporters, and journalists each year. 

In the current socio-political climate, the search to fill these positions falls to individuals who can fit the criteria of objective and unbiased journalism. 

“I don’t really buy into the notion of an objective journalist. I think objective journalism means being differential from the state, power structures, and institutions. When I write something that I’m really passionate about, I’m unafraid to share my opinions in public and on Twitter. We aren’t robots and pretending you are a robot is part of the reason why people aren’t trusting journalists as much,” he said. 

Ballew explains that a wide range of journalists write articles skewed in a specific political direction and label themselves as non-partisan. His main focus is to be accurate and fair as opposed to unbiased, which is a rare sentiment in this field. He encourages up-and-coming journalists to strive for such values in their careers. 

“Be careful with this idea that everything needs both sides. At the end of the day, if someone tells you it’s raining outside and another person tells you that it’s not, it isn’t your job to report that each person said if it was raining, it’s your job to go outside and look and see if it’s f*cking raining or not and report it that way,” he said. 

When an individual is just starting out, editors can maintain a strong hold on the content of articles and the writing being produced. Ballew wants young writers to know that it’s okay to push back, and ultimately if they are uncomfortable with what is being written, it’s alright to be removed from the byline altogether.

“Don’t ever let someone publish something with your name on it if you’re no longer comfortable with it and they’ve changed your story. The editor can put their name on it or refer to the staff. Don’t be afraid,” he reaffirms.

In recent years, Ballew’s frustrations with the industry have created a segway for him into the field of law. He explained that he now has no limitations to being opinionated and that advocating for clients is refreshing in that it doesn’t require the inclusion of both sides.

“I don’t think that I’ll be done as a journalist forever. I don’t think I could ever stop being a journalist. I don’t know when or how I will enter back into the journalism world, but I don’t see myself ever totally leaving it.”

The likability dilemma: a lecture given by Robin Hauser

[An image of Hauser’s documentary on the same topic. Photo by Ally Olis]

“In our society women are penalized when we behave in ways that violate gender norms.”  

This was said by  Robin Hauser, a documentarian whose content focuses primarily on the female experience, in her lecture focuses on the likability factor among women and the unconscious bias surrounding gender. 

She offers insight into how modern-day sexism is exhibited through subtleties and microaggressions that are undetectable to those who haven’t experienced them but detrimental to those who face them on a daily basis. 

“Women, unlike men, are rarely perceived to be both competent and likable. Why do we perceive women differently when we assert ourselves?” Hauser asks.

She focuses on the manner in which a societal preference is a more submissive woman as opposed to those who are willing to take charge and be more active in their lives. She explains how it becomes commonplace for a woman who serves others to be praised, but one who serves herself to be reprimanded, reflecting in overall work performance.

“Women are not as good at men as negotiating for themselves. Yet, women outperform men when they negotiate on behalf of someone else. Women who negotiate for themselves are perceived as selfish and women who negotiate on behalf of someone else are perceived to be helpful. A helpful woman might be liked more than an assertive woman, but the helpful woman will never be recognized as having what it takes to be a successful leader.” Hauser explains.

She details many instances in her personal life where male entities have upheld the sentiment that she would be unable to follow what they were speaking about because she had no husband to teach her about such things.

“My masculine traits make me the kind of gal that can hang with the guys as long as I’m not their boss,” Hauser said.

A large portion of the lecture looked at how everyone sees themselves as impartial observers of such biases. However, Hauser found that they can easily occur unintentionally between females when one displays more confidence than the other. 

She explains that the only way to remove such biases from our society is to become self-aware of them even at the most basic level. 

“As long as society continues to associate leadership with masculine traits, female leaders will be judged more harshly even when they outperform male counterparts. It’s no wonder that United States female politicians suffer greatly as our elections tend to value likeability over competency.” Hauser says.

She expands to say that such issues are present in every facet of life from education to the workplace as backlash is created when input is given from women. 

“Studies show that women in meetings with both genders are less likely to contribute knowledge,” Hauser said. 

She advocates that the issue can be rectified once society is able to eliminate the notions of the double standard between men and women that are rooted in our ancestral history and the very development of our country. 

“A day when we value each other regardless of gender and for the unique contributions we all bring to the table, that will be the day when I don’t have to worry about being liked. I can just be me.” 

From vampire to vigilante: Robert Pattinson’s DC debut

[Liam Piper watching The Batman on HBO Max. Photo by Ally Olis]

The newest phenomenon to overtake the superhero universe is Matt Reeve’s iteration of “The Batman,” starring Twilight’s Robert Pattinson. 

The film grossed over six hundred million at the worldwide box-office since its release on March 4, 2022. 

With an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes, The Batman is considerably better than anything DC has produced in a long time.

The movie explores various facets of DC comic book lore, including the essential aspects of Bruce Wayne’s story from previous Batman movies such as Catwoman, Commissioner Gordon, and Alfred, to crime bosses like Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni. 

Overall, the film does a superb job of creating a new interpretation of the Batman that audiences know so well from the Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale, The Dark Knight Trilogy. 

Batman in this universe exists as this brooding, overly-driven and damaged individual seeking to rectify the impurities of the corrupt city that is Gotham. 

Bruce Wayne is no different, gravitating towards loneliness, being excessively covered in black eyeliner for most of the film, and seeking to continue his father’s efforts at improving the quality of life of the city. 

“I like that it understands that Batman needs to be more than just fear to the people of Gotham. He needs to uplift the city in order to make a change,” said Aidan Guerra, a freshman computer science major.

In previous instances, Bruce Wayne is a flamboyant billionaire and seeks socialization and grandeur as his means of distinguishing himself from the characteristics that someone would have if they were a vigilante. The absence of this character choice is arguably the most compelling thing about Pattinson’s portrayal, as you can no longer tell where Batman begins and Bruce ends. 

“I like that in this movie Batman doesn’t know who he is or why he does what he does. He’s figuring it out as he goes along,” said Liam Piper, a freshman international policy major.

His character is said to be modeled after Kurt Cobain, and for the first and last sequences of the movie Something In the Way plays on Bruce Wayne’s stereo, feeding into this new grunge aesthetic. His hair is in his eyes for 60% of his out of suit shots, which is something that can be attributed to the emo boy community of 2014. 

“Although it was too long and there were too many elements of the cinematography focused on overdramatization, I thought the way they presented the character of Batman was much more suiting since this time Batman is really just a tortured soul and I think that’s more genuine to the character,” said Aidan Phillips, a freshman political science major at the University of Denver.

Zoe Kravitz is the best Catwoman we have seen so far and offers a scene stealing performance every time she appears on screen. From her movement to her sultry voice, she was the perfect embodiment of the iconic character, previously portrayed by Anne Hathaway and Michelle Pfiffer. 

There was also a larger exploration of Gotham as its own location in this film, with long, aesthetically pleasing shots of the skyline, buildings and citizens. A vague usage of New York scenery has historically characterized Gotham and in straying away from this, the movie is visually stunning and adds to the new reality it has created. 

One element that did not serve as an advantage to the film was its length. With a running time of 2h and 56min the Batman also seems as though it would never end. 

There are multiple points in the story that could have ended the film and as an audience member you just couldn’t tell exactly when they would come. It was almost as though they had taken everyone’s ideas from the writers room and attempted to incorporate them all into one movie. 

I saw numerous people use the bathroom at least twice in the middle of the film, and they missed nothing in doing so. The running time could easily have been cut in half if there weren’t so many sequences of Pattinson walking slow motion towards the camera while his theme song played in the background. 

The pacing was incredibly slow and it was hard to keep track of the main focus with all of the subplots the movie attempts to maintain. The dramatic scene where Catwoman is revealed to be the daughter of Salvatore Maroni, really shouldn’t have existed at all; it served no purpose. 

I can, however, honestly say that the car chase featuring the Batmobile was the most visually stunning and impressive aspect of the film in my opinion. Showing off cool gadgets, and a sleek form it is genuinely a car someone could fall in love with.

There were some inherent flaws in costuming given that Zoe Kravitz’s mask looked like an old beanie that had the eyes cut out while the rest of her outfit was seemingly high budget. I also don’t feel like it is necessary to see Bruce Wayne in his post usage of the suit covered in eye liner as many times as we did.

The thing I liked most about his film is that it is a Batman movie whose primary focus was to set itself apart and create a new experience for audiences that previous franchises have never done. 

The Riddler was featured as its main antagonist and I thought this was the perfect choice given that the Joker has been overdone in the past twenty years of the franchise.

This was a seemingly Joker free movie, until the end when they couldn’t leave well enough alone. While I admire the cameo and reference to the iconic villain, the film would have done such a good job at setting a new tone without the Joker had they chosen not to incorporate it in the film. 

All in all, it was a fun and captivating film to watch and I would definitely watch again with some friends. However, I am in no means in love with it. Batman could easily be rated at an 8/10. 

Read more: From vampire to vigilante: Robert Pattinson’s DC debut 

Some DU students question the feasibility of the University’s carbon neutrality goals

The bicycle rack at Nelson Hall.  [Photo by Ally Olis.]

 The University of Denver has committed to a goal of becoming a completely carbon neutral institution by 2030. 

The school’s initial claim, made in 2008 pledged to achieve neutrality by 2050, and joined the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Committee. The new timeline accelerates the original by 20 years.

The DU administration is reporting a current reduction of carbon emissions by 28%. With the provision of light rail passes for students, the installation of 18 solar panels and motion-sensored lights in many restrooms, the progression is on a steady track. 

However, some students feel as though the university fails to understand the gravity of the changes they are attempting to implement.

“A big, important step that needs to be taken is to reallocate university funding that’s going towards fossil fuel corporations and instead investing in green energy companies, organizations dedicated to monitoring the climate crisis or even local organizations that work to keep cities green,” said Ellen Bussey, a freshman international business major at the university. 

Chancellor Jeremy Haefner noted that DU in 2008 produced 53,280 metric tons of carbon each year. DU’s former executive director of sustainability, Chad King, said that 50% of the on-campus carbon emissions come from electricity. 

 Claire Broemmer, a freshman psychology and criminology major, who works for the Center of Sustainability at DU, said that she thinks that moving the initial goal was very much a PR stunt on the part of the institution as they are not prioritizing any data collection or large changes per the direction of Chad King. 

As a result, the university has yet to account for the transportation necessities of students in their new sustainability goals and has no present solutions for such an issue. 

“One of the twenty-five by twenty-five goals was to eliminate the need for students to have a car, which seems unfeasible with accessibility, especially for those of us who maintain jobs off- campus. They suggested some of us work on the project over the summer without pay,” Broemmer said. 

With the extensive outward projection that DU is working towards sustainability, this ensures the interest of environmentally conscious students in attending the school.

According to a study by the Princeton Review, 74% of students indicated that information on an institution’s environmental policy would influence their decision on where to attend. 

“It feels like these statements are being made just to ensure students who care about sustainability are coming here. They are addressing it because it’s a backburner issue a lot of students care about, but they don’t actually understand the steps that need to be taken. We don’t even sustainably run kitchens,” said Broemmer. 

DU has a lasting contract with Sodexo, which is one of the largest contributors to fossil fuels and carbon emissions in their slaughterhouses and production of goods. 

“The investments the University has made in favor of the fossil fuel industry directly contradicts what they are attempting to do with carbon neutrality. It’s something that no one pays attention to and it’s a vital element of this process that needs to be rectified,” said Aidan Philipps, a freshman political science major. 

DU has also aligned its goals with the new commitments of the presidential administration to sustainability efforts. 

An  official statement for the Biden administration by the White House says with their current policies, the goal is to achieve 100% carbon-pollution-free electricity by 2035 and reach net-zero emissions economy-wide no later than 2050. 

Some students are questioning DU’s motives in following the government’s environmental goals and whether or not that means more federal grants and compensation. 

 “There’s a lot of awards that a school can get when there’s campus engagement in sustainability efforts. It adds money and more students who prioritize environmental efforts. It’s really attractive to them and President Biden has his own goals for reducing carbon emissions and aligning with that can mean more funding on the federal level,” Kania Campbell, a freshman public policy major at the center for sustainability said.

Carbon neutrality begins with the individual footprint and in the coming years the task is to translate these changes to the scale of the entire student body, practices, and faculty as an institution. In order to fully achieve its goals, DU must be willing to divest from fossil fuels and confront the issue at its source.