Women in America live with the ability to speak their minds, wear clothes of their choosing, travel alone, attend school, and have the freedom to make certain choices. However, other rights have slowly begun to regress in certain states in America, including abortion laws, prostitution, as well as other limiting laws. 

The overturning of Roe v. Wade has placed numerous restrictions against a women’s right to choose and make decisions for themselves regarding their own bodies. In some states, this decision has been limited altogether, and in others, it has been limited to a certain amount of weeks. Some of these limitations make no expectations regardless of age, rape, and/or incest. A ten-year-old rape victim living in Ohio was forced to travel to another state to be able to receive medical treatment. “Ten years old — 10 years old! — raped, six weeks pregnant, already traumatized, was forced to travel to another state,” President Biden said during an address at the White House.

Making abortions illegal doesn’t stop them. It just prevents them from being done in a safe and secure manner. In abortion-restricted states, the maternal death rate is 62% higher than in the states that do not hold any restrictions or regulations.

Prostitution is illegal in the majority of the United States, with some expectations in certain cities in Nevada. While many believe prostitution should remain illegal, there are some people who feel it should be legalized and that women should be given the right to choose whether or not they want to employ themselves sexually.

History of Women’s Rights in America

Women in America have had to fight for their equal rights through different suffrage movements and rebellions. These fights date all the way back to the 18th century. In July of 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held in New York, and inspired activism that lasted decades. On August 18th, 1920, the ratification of the 19th Amendment was completed declaring the right of citizens of the United States to vote should not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Forty-four years later, the Civil Rights Act was signed as a law. This act banned employment discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, or sex. In January of 1973, the Roe v. Wade decision was made, which proclaimed that a woman’s right to an abortion was protected under the Constitution. Although in June 2022, this decision was overturned, and abortion rights were given to each state to decide. 

Women’s rights, no matter where you are, have always been a problem in the world. In some states, women may have more rights than others. Below we begin to look at differing laws in three different states.

Women’s Rights in Michigan 

In Michigan, abortion is legal up to ‘viability,’ when the fetus is able to survive outside the uterus with medical help and/or assistance. This usually occurs somewhere near the 26-week mark. Although abortion up to 26 weeks is legal in the state of Michigan, there are still many places that have stopped offering abortions altogether. In order to obtain an abortion, a woman must be at least 18 years old, and minors must acquire parent’s permission. There are situations where if you can obtain the parent’s permission, then you could get a judicial bypass and override their decision. 

Prostitution is a problem all across the world, and in most places, it is considered a crime. In Michigan, any person over the age of 16 who admits or offers to receive a person in any sexual way is guilty of the crime. The punishment could result in 93 days in prison and/or a $500 fine. If a woman wanted to participate in prostitution, she would not be able too. 

There are also many weird laws in Michigan. According to Around Michigan, some of these include it being illegal to be drunk on a train, it being against the law to sell cars on Sunday, as well as it being illegal to sing to your sweetheart in Kalamazoo. However, one weird law that directly affects women is the fact that women are not permitted to cut their own hair without the consent of their spouse first. 

Women’s Rights in Nevada 

Women’s Rights in Nevada are some of the best in the country. Nevada’s suffrage movement began in 1869 when it was brought up to the state legislature to give women the right to vote. However, it wasn’t as easy as just asking for it. It took over 40 years for women to get the right to vote. Suffragists would go on horseback or foot in order to reach small mining/labor towns in order to earn their votes. Men figured that if they helped women get the right to vote, then their wives could vote in order to benefit their unions. Officially, in 1914 the law was passed, and women voted for the first time in 1915. 

Ever since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, people have been fighting for safe and legal abortions. In Nevada, abortion is safe and legal for up to 24 weeks. This means that in the first 24 weeks of conceiving a baby, you can legally abort it. Abortion is still legal after the 24 mark only if it is proven that the pregnant individual would be harmed or even die from the baby. Along with this, they are also taking the initiative to crack down on crisis pregnancy centers. These centers mislead people by having unlicensed physicians who persuade people not to receive the treatment they want. 

In most states, it is illegal to be a prostitute or take part in prostitution, however, in Nevada, it is legal with certain qualifications. To be able to partake in prostitution legally, a county must have a population of less than 700,000.  These are all places where licensed brothel prostitution is legal. This means that there are certain houses or places in these areas that are licensed to sell prostitutes to the public. In Nevada, women have the right to participate in prostitution if they want too in certain areas of the state. 

Finally, there is one weird law in Nevada that prevents men and women from kissing each other. If a man has a mustache in Eureka County, then they cannot kiss a woman. This started in the 1800s-1900s due to religious beliefs. These beliefs included not being able to have facial hair. 

Women’s Rights in Florida 

Throughout certain states in the US, women’s rights are under attack. One of the most vulnerable states is Florida. In Florida, women currently have limitations against a number of different things, such as abortion rights and prostitution.

After the overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion rights in Florida have been limited. According to the Palm Post, the “overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 lifted a legal obstacle to Florida’s ban on abortion 15 weeks of gestation or later. A woman can get an exception if two doctors certify that without the procedure, the woman will die or that the fetus has an immediately fatal condition.” This 15-week ban has only continued to shorten. As of April 2023, Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, worked to create a six-week ban on abortion, labeling it the “Heartbeat Protection Act.” This law makes all abortions past the six-week mark illegal. Many in Florida and around the country have begun protesting these regulations saying that most women don’t even know they are pregnant by the six-week mark and that it is unfair. 

Prostitution is currently illegal in Florida. Prostitution is defined as the exchange of money, employment, goods, or services in return for sex. Florida law prohibits anyone from soliciting sex from individuals. This law prohibits women from using their bodies to gain profit as well as employing themselves sexually. 

There are also a number of weird laws that place restrictions against women in Florida. One weird law is that if a woman is caught sleeping in a hair salon, she and the hairdresser could end up being fined. Another weird law is that Florida prevents unmarried women from skydiving using a parachute on Sundays. If a woman is caught doing this, she can either get fined, arrested, or even face jail time. 

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