TAKE BACK THE NIGHT
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THE
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MISSISSIPPIAN theDMonline.com
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Volume 111, No. 25
Months after decision, debate over Dobbs persists
EMILY O’REILLY
thedmnews@gmail.com
Last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the state of Mississippi in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the decision dismantled 50 years of constitutional protection of abortion rights under Roe v. Wade and returned to individual states the power to regulate any aspect of abortion not protected by federal law. Mississippi was one of the 13 states with trigger laws in place that almost immediately banned or restricted abortion when Roe v. Wade was overturned. “Because there is a lack of a federal standard, each state is addressing the issues differently and in Mississippi specifically, women are being deprived of this right on almost all fronts,” vice president of UM College Democrats Frances Madden said. “A lot of women that need this healthcare are banned from going
SEDLEY NORMAND / THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN
to other states or they don’t have legal rights to go to other states and receive healthcare.”
Sociology and anthropology professor Ana Milenova Velitchkova said that preg-
nant people have lost adequate health care following the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
“Pregnant people have lost the right to benefit from and their health providers have lost the right to provide the best health care possible,” Velitchkova said. “This is certainly going to lead to negative health outcomes and even death for pregnant people.” There are some people that think overturning Roe v. Wade and giving power back to the states comes with benefits. “I think the benefits of the overturn are allowing the power to go back to the states. It’s more likely that a larger range of voices will be heard when we give power to the courts with the most direct representation,” Reagan Kurtz, sophomore hospitality management major, said. “I think it allows voters to feel more included in the law making and passing process, which is a big step in a world where everyone wants their voice heard.” Velitchkova said the willingness of the Supreme Court
SEE DOBBS PAGE 5
Greek Life chaplains praise spiritual opportunities CLAY HALE
thedmfeatures@gmail.com
PHOTO COURTESY: EVA RICHARDSON
Sophomore Leeana Bock serves as one of Alpha Omicron Pi’s three chaplains.
Oxford is flooded with places of worship. On nearly every street, there is either a place of worship or a campus ministry that provides a setting for the University of Mississippi’s Christian students to form community. Greek life organizations also have a position related to faith — the chapter chaplain. The chaplain is a Christian leader that aims to be a voice for the fraternity or sorority’s religious community. In practice, this often looks like leading Bible studies and acting as a spiritual counselor. Among this group of leaders is freshman Leeana Bock, one of Alpha Omicron Pi’s three chaplains. Bock grew up in a strong Christian environment, where she attended church services on Sundays
and church camp in the summer. When she became a student at the University of Mississippi, those traditions evolved into Sunday worship at Pinelake Church and a campus ministry home in Cru. She shares her faith with her sorority big, Eva Richardson, who served as the most recent chaplain and encouraged Bock to apply when the position opened. “We talked it out and she was ready to pass on the position to somebody else,” Bock said. “I felt like it was God’s calling to me that she was my big, I was her little.” Despite her blossoming faith, Bock confesses that there are spiritual struggles that are naturally inherent in being a college student. For example, she cites a busy schedule as one of the biggest
SEE CHAPLAINS PAGE 8