Texas implements anti-abortion law

Texas+implements+anti-abortion+law

Naomi(Yiting) Gu, Staff Writer

Texas has implemented the strictest anti-abortion law since 2019, and the new law adds restrictions to the previous law. Abortion is strictly limited in some states in the United States. According to an analysis of data from the Center for Reproductive Rights by NBC news, 23 states have introduced prohibitions, and 13 of them may introduce relevant laws later in the future.

The newly enacted law in Texas has caused an outcry from different voices in society. Texas prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, including pregnancy due to rape or incest. The state even set up a “prize prosecution system” to encourage people to report women who violate the law. Feminist organizations have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to repeal the law. However, their request has been rejected. This indicates a victory for conservatives who have long sought to eliminate abortion, but it has attracted strong criticism from Democrats. The implementation of this bill shows that the current U.S. Supreme Court is now seriously “right-wing.”

The regulation is almost equal to a total ban on abortion. If parents want to have an abortion, they must perform tests on the fetus beforehand, so whether a mother can have an abortion depends on the age of the fetus. Heart sounds are usually detected from the sixth week of pregnancy, and the law signed in May of this year by Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas, makes abortion illegal once a baby’s heartbeat is detected. Therefore, the law is also known as the “Texas heartbeat act.” Given that 85 to 90 percent of abortions occur after six weeks of pregnancy, it is nearly impossible for women to get a legal abortion.

There have been several demonstrations for women’s liberation. The liberal view against the law is that women should have the ability to make their own choices. However, few lawmakers agree with this argument, especially in states like Florida and Texas. Because many people believe that a heartbeat means a fetus is a person, they consider abortion equivalent to murdering a developing child. What does it mean when a few people insist that the government restrict parents’ right to have an abortion? According to statistics published by the World Health Organization, nearly 23,000 people die from unsafe abortions every year. In addition, countless people have experienced serious health complications. If the current trend in the United States continues, abortions performed without assistance from medical professionals will have terrible consequences, which will become the cause of some people’s deaths. There is serious cultural polarization in the United States on a variety of topics, including abortion, same-sex marriage, gun rights, and more. Important progress has been made to reduce gender inequality, but women’s right to choose abortion is now seriously threatened.

Such policies not only cause potential harm to women but also cause severe distress to people in the transgender community. Transgender people, especially transgender people of color or low income, could face prejudice or discrimination when accessing medical treatment, such as abortions. About 30 percent of transgender people reported delaying or stopping seeking health care due to fear of stigma, and about a quarter of transgender people said they were denied equal treatment in health care settings. It is clear that the anti-abortion law can have dire consequences for people’s physical and mental health.