On September 1st, 2021, one of the most extreme abortion laws went into effect in the state of
Texas. According to NPR, this law effectively ends Roe v. Wade protections in the state. The law
bans all abortions after around six weeks of pregnancy (most women don’t even know they are
pregnant by then). However, it also allows citizens to sue abortion providers as well as others
who help any woman get an abortion. These “others” include those who provide transportation to
the clinic or help in any way financially.
The law applies to all situations unless there is a medical emergency. This means in cases of rape
or incest, the woman must keep the baby or face a legal battle. As well, citizens do not have to be
connected to the woman getting an abortion to snitch on them. This makes Texas’s abortion law
different from other states.
Why is abortion such a big deal anyways? And why should you care? Well… in places where
abortion is either extremely strict or outright banned, women will look to other sources to help
assist them. This can lead to tremendous suffering both physically and mentally and even death.
According to The Atlantic, looking at other countries who have abortion restricts, the number of
abortions that happened a year does not go down. In fact, the rates stay the same.
It is crystal clear to see that this new bill has been taken too far. Could snitching on someone be
an invasion of privacy? Is this a violation of women’s rights? Hopefully some of the answers to
these questions will be made clear through the coming days and weeks. For now, we must watch
as Texas is torn between pro-choice and pro-life.