The end of Roe v. Wade won’t bring an end to ‘hookup’ culture — but we can hope | Opinion

Everyone’s talking about how the Supreme Court’s abortion decision will save lives or take away women’s rights — depending on ideological perspective. Not getting enough attention, though, is whether it might end casual sex and hookup culture as we know it.

Hookup culture is rampant today, even though it has declined slightly in the past few years. Teenagers and 20-somethings who often barely know each other, tend to have casual sex — and, often, with several partners over their young lives.

About 65% to 85% of men and women participate in hookups, and over 85% of North American college students have had sex with someone they hardly know or with whom they’re not in a committed relationship, in a report cited by the University of North Florida.

Hookup culture isn’t simply the decline of mores that older generations might observe, or even the demonstration of a new era of sexual freedom, as feminists might label it. It is the result of abortion on demand and readily available contraception.

As the two have become more accessible, affordable and socially acceptable, men and women — but especially men — can have sex with fewer consequences.

Hookup culture might sound fun and sexy, but it has had devastating emotional and physical consequences for men and women alike. Aside from obvious risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, casual sex typically leaves men and women feeling empty, depressed and with lower self esteem after the initial buzz and adrenaline rush wear off.

One study by researchers from Binghamton University and the Kinsey Insititute at Indiana University showed that after a typical hookup, “35% reported feeling … disappointed.” Another suggested that as many as 78% of women and 72% of men who had uncommitted sex felt regret.

Still, the ease of abortion access undoubtedly paired well with the desire to have casual sex. If a woman becomes unexpectedly pregnant, abortion is an inexpensive, seemingly painless, way out of the common consequence of sexual encounters — and a direct route back into the lifestyle with which she has become accustomed.

Though the reasons women have abortions are often not singular and are more complex, unplanned pregnancies with someone who is not a committed partner are among the most common.

With more than half of the states poised to ban abortions as a result of the Supreme Court’s decisions and this tool of hookup culture suddenly erased, it stands to reason that casual sexual encounters may decrease — and for the betterment of men and women everywhere. This can only be a boon for the large percentage of those who felt depressed or regretted it afterwards but lacked the foresight before to make a different decision.

The possibility of more stark consequences, via an unwanted pregnancy or impending child support, may provide the extra motivation needed to choose to handle sex and relationships differently.

Libido and the desire for intimacy are powerful motivators that drive men and women alike to make out-of-character decisions. It’s unlikely casual sex or hookup culture will disappear entirely. But it’s a mistake to suggest abortion on demand and hookup culture are not irrevocably linked — and the bond between them did women, especially, no favors.

Perhaps as laws shift, they’ll drag culture with it and force men and women to uphold firmer boundaries, demand more commitment from one another and respect one another more.

Nicole Russell is an opinion writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram