A commentary on the Texas abortion ban
A new law in Texas has just banned any abortion made after 6 weeks of pregnancy - and it has short of startled us all. More shockingly is there are no exceptions for cases of rape or incest. What a disservice to all Texan women this is, specially to the most vulnerable POC, teens and low-income people.
Abortions are not an easy and simple decision to make for anyone. It is an emotional and complex decision, involving so many factors - economical, psychological and physical (ex. health risks). Abiding by this law means we are saying it is ok for women to have, if they are lucky, 2 weeks to make this life-changing decision.
Photo: Jay Janner/Austin-American-Statesman/Associated Press
Our body, Our choice
Organizations like Planned Parenthood have fought for years in order to make this process easier and more accessible for women. Even with the incredible support and assistance of organizations like this it is still a traumatic decision making process for women, described by many as extremely isolating. Because of stigma, many don’t feel comfortable discussing their experience which forms even greater barriers for a good recovery.
In that sense, it is imperative to understand that it's the pregnant woman in question who should have the power to decide, it is her body that will face the irreversible changes of birth or abortion, and no one else’s. What a woman will consider to make this decision should not concern anyone else but herself, her capabilities and wishes to become a mother or not. It is up to the woman to balance between the life-changing decision of maternity versus the overall impact of getting an abortion.
Wanted dead or alive - How much are women's lives worth?
Undesired pregnancies are a reality and they will keep on happening with or without an abortion banning law. So why do we want to make it harder? In Third World countries girls are dying from homemade abortion kits which are done with all kinds of utensils over the kitchen table. Many of them die because of this, therefore the result is not only an aborted baby but a dead woman who did not have a choice.
We cannot let this be a reality in the 21st Century, and in the United States, the leader of the free world?! Women should have the right to access safe abortions and the power to make decisions for themselves.
Girls should be able to understand that there is a choice and that they will be fine, that they will get through this safely. That their bodies belong to them.
Most women don’t even know they are pregnant by the sixth week. Expecting that to happen in order to get a safe abortion is trying to ridicule the process women go through until they realize they are pregnant. By saying abortion is allowed until the 6th week it is as if they are saying - “we are not anti-abortion”, but everyone and anyone who is truly pro women’s choices can clearly see Texan women are not really getting any choice.
Simple math here, a woman's cycle is on average every 28 days, could be more, so if said woman would wait for her period (~4 weeks), she would then have only two weeks left to:
Find out
Do tests
Make a decision
Schedule a procedure
We say no to discrimination - Don't stay silent
Keeping it politically correct makes it worse.
Women get it. Men get it.
We understand and we will not stay silent. What about all women from Texas who don’t have the option to go get an abortion in another state? What about the future of this baby from an unwanted/not capable/underage mother? Why are we burdening him/her too? What are we trying to achieve?
Radical change needs to happen, ecosystems of prevention need to be put in place, such as, in the state’s sex education, initiatives and policies. We cannot be silent, we need to keep fighting to give reproductive freedom back to the women in Texas. Let’s educate our children and give them the tools to build a better future in which all of them will have the right to choose without being endangered or discriminated against.