By: Olivia Bowersox
A Texas law banning abortions after six weeks, despite the fact that most women find out about their pregnancy around six weeks, has been in effect since Sept. 1. With the pro choice argument “my body, my choice” being used against masking and COVID vaccinations in Texas, is this ban really about the lives of the fetuses? Or is it about controlling women and stripping their rights? This law makes Texas the most restrictive in the United States in terms of abortion. Will this law really stop abortions or just safely practiced ones?
By the time a woman misses her period, a key clue to pregnancy, doctors say she is already four weeks pregnant. Under Texas law, this gives a woman two weeks to find out she’s pregnant, make a decision, and undergo a legal abortion. Keep in mind most women have irregular cycles, don’t track their period precisely, and/or do not go straight to the idea of pregnancy when missing their period. This could give a woman even less time than the already ludicrous two weeks to make an extremely important and heavy decision.
Mr. Barna, one of our district’s history teachers, was interviewed from a historical and constitutional standpoint. He shared regarding the federal government of Roe v Wade abortion trial. “It said that in essence, there should be no limits placed upon a woman’s right to pursue an abortion during the first trimester.” For clarification, the first trimester is a 12 week time period, six weeks longer than Texas allows a woman to get an abortion. From looking at a constitutional standpoint, Texas law violates the 14th amendment.
Macy Newman, a sophomore classmate, shared her opinion on the topic. “I personally don’t think the ban is a wise decision. Banning abortions doesn’t stop people from getting them. All it does is stop people from getting safe abortions.” She feels it should be a personal decision. “You can’t expect everyone to have the same opinion as you on a topic as serious as abortions. If someone wants to get an abortion, that’s their business.” She believes that everyone should mind their own business.
According to deadline.com, when asked about the president’s support of abortions while being Catholic, Jen Psaki, a politician, responded, “He believes it is a woman’s right. It’s a woman’s body, and it’s her choice.”
Men have never faced the decision and won’t ever be able to fully understand how difficult it is. That decision deserves to be respected, not banned by a man. The abortion law in Texas was decided by a man, someone who doesn’t even have the physiological means to have to make this decision for his own body.
Whether this law is morally correct or not, it is very arguably unconstitutional. Everyone will have different morals, opinions, and decisions, but they have a right to all of those. Stripping women of their right to make a decision that important could never be considered constitutional. Texas and all the states following suit are taking the world several steps in the wrong direction. They’re stripping women of rights that had to be fought for, and that is something no one could even argue is constitutional.
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