DIVERSITY IN DOMESTIC SOCIETY

Diversity in Domestic Society and its Effects on Mass Communications

Aleia Wiggins

A&T State University

In modern America, there are important pieces of legislation that have helped to shape

the civil rights for many diverse groups. From gender to race, disability, sexual orientation, and

many other common issues to rectify in America, there has been reformation in order for
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America to evolve. Although the United States of America can be divided on various

controversial topics, it still remains as one of the most diverse, socially accepting, and liberate

countries in the world.

One important case that changed women’s rights in America was the revolutionary Roe v.

Wade case in 1973. In this case, the government gained restrictions on their involvement in

women’s right to abortion. One of the reasons this decision was combat women getting abortions

illegally and dying due to the malpractice. According to Alexandra DeSanctis of the National

Review, most people in America do not understand what women’s rights would actually look like

if the decision made in Roe v. Wade never happened or was to be overturned. Without this court

case, individual states would have the ability to set their own regulations on abortion, which

means nearly all would permit abortion at least until the 20th week of pregnancy. The only way

for abortion to illegal in all 50 states would be to create a federal law or constitutional

amendment (DeSanctis, 2017). Although abortion would most likely not be illegal in all 50

states, women in certain would have to travel to different states in order to receive their right to

choose.

Because abortion restrictions have been set on the national government, women can now

have proper treatments from Planned Parenthood sanctioned abortion clinics across the United

States. Although America now has some of the most permissive abortion laws in the world, the

country is still divided on the debate between pro-life and pro-choice according to Patricia

Boling and Rachel Walker of the The Exponent. However, Roe has gained longevity and a

degree of acceptance in modern American culture. In the 1992 Supreme Court decision, Planned

Parenthood v. Casey, women who were raised after Roe v. Wade have had a hard time imagining

a world where they are not free to choose what to do if they become pregnant (Boling & Walker,
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2013). This revolutionary case helped to raise a new generation of women, which may disagree

on the morality of abortion but understand the importance of the right to choose for the

development of women’s rights.

In 1999, the Olmstead v. L.C. case was a significant victory for disability rights

advocates. According to Civilrights.org, in this case, the Court stated that the Americans with

Disabilities Act (ADA) prevented unnecessary segregation of people with disabilities in state

institutions. As the Court noted, such segregation is, “...often motivated by irrational fears,

stereotypes, and patronizing attitudes, and unfairly relegates individuals with disabilities to

second-class status” (The Leadership Conference, 2017). This case’s decision was made to

reform the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which, according to Amy Thompson from

The Jama Network, was made in order to have employers that couldn’t discriminate against a

qualified person with a disability. The employers also had to make reasonable accommodations

for an employee’s disability as long as it wasn’t too difficult or expensive (Thompson, 2015).

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was reformed with the Olmstead v. L.C.

case, both pieces of legislation strive to protect the civil rights of more than 50 million

Americans with disabilities by making sure that they have the same opportunities to fully engage

in public life.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 has also been important for those with

HIV/AIDS. This marginalized group of people are constantly segregated and discriminated

against, therefore prompting the ADA to protect them as well. In an article written by Jeffrey

Crowley for The Jama Network, people with HIV who are diagnosed early, engaged in care, and

able to continue treatment may live a normal lifespan. And even with these modern

improvements to HIV/AIDS treatments, these people are still discriminated against in the
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workplace (Crowley, 2015). The Americans with Disabilities Act is still trying to change

society’s current views on how to treat people with this disease.

One of the most revolutionary acts of legislation for the civil rights of the LGBTQ+

community was the Supreme Court legalizing same sex marriage in all 50 states in 2015. Prior to

the Supreme Court ruling, same sex couples would have to travel According to Adam Liptak of

The New York Times, this decision was made on a 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court judges and still

faces controversy among various religious groups across the nation. Despite the current

controversy, the ruling was put into effect after a series of polls in which a majority of American

people stated that they were very accepting of same sex couples (Liptak, 2015). It was because of

this growing social acceptance that brought forth a revolutionary legislation for the LGBTQ+

community.

Because of these important and revolutionary acts of legislation, diverse minorities across

the United States have a chance to live equally. Women now have the right to choose if they

want a child or not and also have the ability to plan their families. People with disabilities have

the right to not be discriminated against in the workplace. And same sex couples across the

nation have the opportunity to get married with the same rights as a heterosexual couple. Without

these vital pieces of legislation, the United States of America would not be the liberate and

accepting country it strives to become.

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Works Cited

Crowley, J. S. (2015, July 21). The Americans with Disabilities Act and HIV/AIDS

Discrimination. Retrieved December 02, 2017, from

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2319707?widget=personalizedcontent&

previousarticle=2319165

Boling, P., & Walker, R. (2013, January 31). The impact of Roe v. Wade after 40 years.

Retrieved December 01, 2017, from

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https://www.purdueexponent.org/opinion/article_40758fc1-b612-589d-8a5b-

f5c3b05a5d7c.html

DeSanctis, A. (2017, January 23). Little-Known Facts about Roe v. Wade. Retrieved

December 01, 2017, from http://www.nationalreview.com/article/444135/roe-v-wade-

abortion-constitutional-right-supreme-court-wrote-fiction

Liptak, A. (2015, June 26). Supreme Court Ruling Makes Same-Sex Marriage a Right

Nationwide. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html

Liptak, A. (2015, June 26). Supreme Court Ruling Makes Same-Sex Marriage a Right

Nationwide. Retrieved December 01, 2017, from

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/27/us/supreme-court-same-sex-marriage.html

The Leadership Conference. (n.d.). Important Supreme Court Cases for Civil Rights.

Retrieved December 02, 2017, from https://civilrights.org/judiciary/federal-court-

system/important-supreme-court-cases-civil-rights/

Thompson, A. E. (2015, June 09). The Americans With Disabilities Act. Retrieved December

02, 2017, from https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2319165