let’s be clear:
- abortion is a right
- abortion is legal
- abortion is YOUR decisionstand with me, the @aclu, and the abortion providers fighting on the front lines. none of us can be silent. #stopthebans https://t.co/KYym1fJYxp pic.twitter.com/9rlpprexBv
— h (@halsey) May 29, 2019
This year, more abortion restrictions have been put into place across the U.S. than ever before, and it’s getting messy. In 2021 alone, state legislatures have passed more than 90 laws restricting reproductive rights. According to an NPR article, some state legislatures are emboldened by the 6 – 3 conservative majority in the Supreme Court, a majority that drives the current wave of antiabortion policies.
Probably the biggest backlash – especially on social media – occurred when Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8, also called Texas Heartbeat Bill, into effect for September 1, 2021. Why is this law so problematic? There are three main reasons: (1) as soon as cardiac activity of the fetus is detected – usually around six weeks when most women do not know they are pregnant – an abortion is no longer possible, (2) there are no exceptions to the law, not even in the case of rape or incest, and (3) the bill asks individuals to bring civil lawsuits against abortion providers, aiders, or abettors.
In case of a successful lawsuit, a plaintiff can earn up to $10,000. The organization Texas Right to Life had even set up a whistleblower website which has since been shut down. When it was still active, individuals could send in tips and, if available, pictures of people and providers who may have violated the Heartbeat Act. This website led several social media users to flood the website with fake tips and pictures, like TikTok user Victoria Hammett.
Another problem arises from a separate bill that Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law just weeks after the Heartbeat Bill. This new bill, which goes into effect December 2, 2021, restricts the access to abortion-inducing medication, narrows down the window for physicians to administer the medication from ten to seven weeks, and punishes violations by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The three-week reduction goes against FDA guidelines and makes Texas one of the states with the strictest abortion policies in the country. Sadly, both emergency requests to the U.S. Supreme Court – one to stop the Heartbeat Bill, another to stop the restriction of abortion-inducing medication – were denied in a 5 – 4 decision. This decision doesn’t come as a surprise as the Trump administration had appointed 220 new judges to the federal and district courts, and many have a conviction rate hostile towards reproductive rights. As these positions are lifetime positions, the appointed judges have the power to affect multiple generations and make it easier for states to implement restrictions. This, in turn, can keep abortions out of reach for millions, especially marginalized communities.
According to Planned Parenthood, the Supreme Court landmark ruling Roe v. Wade had been under scrutiny for years although 79% of Americans support the constitutional right to access abortion under Roe v. Wade. Therefore, it is surprising that more than 20 states have established ‘trigger laws’ or ‘pre-Roe bans’. Out of those states, twelve – Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah – will automatically ban first and second trimester abortions once Roe v. Wade is overturned. Ironically, almost all of these states, except Idaho and Utah, rank in the lower half or bottom of the United Health Foundation’s ranking for health care of women and children.
While many Western countries attempt to pass abortion laws as progressive as Roe vs. Wade, it seems that the United States is moving backwards in time.
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