Abortion is health care and healthcare is a human right. Regardless of one’s personal stance on abortion or if they’d get one themselves, abortion is a procedure that saves lives. What is happening in Texas is an abhorrent violation of our rights, and we cannot let it be pushed to the side and labeled as merely another bad thing that has happened under Governor Greg Abbott or Senator Ted Cruz.
What is Texas’s “Heartbeat” Bill?
The “heartbeat” bill has made abortions illegal past the six (6!!) week mark in pregnancy. Why is a six-week cut-off such an offense? Well, most people do not know they are pregnant at that point because it is still presumably when their period could be late! Many people do not have a suspicion until around six weeks, let alone a confirmed pregnancy, nor the time to get an abortion, if desired, within that time frame.
Not only does it make getting an abortion illegal and impossible within the state after the six-week mark, but it allows private citizens to sue anyone that has anything to do with providing access to an abortion for a minimum of $10,000 in “damages” in addition to all legal fees.
This includes, but is not limited to, the person having an abortion, the doctor performing the abortion, the nurses who may be in the room at any point, the receptionist of the clinic, the escort who walks you in, your friend who drives you, or your Uber or Lyft driver… yeah, just about anyone who may have the slightest idea where you are or what you’re doing can get sued.
What about Roe v. Wade?
Texas’s “heartbeat” bill is not only a violation of one’s access to healthcare, but a direct violation of Roe v. Wade, a 1973 Supreme Court decision that ruled that denying access to abortion was a violation of an individuals’ rights set forth by the 14th Amendment. Although President Biden stated that he would stand in stark opposition to this bill recognizing that it is a violation of the Roe v. Wade decision, little has been done on a federal level in the week since it went into effect.
What can we do?
A fair question, my friend. As someone who does not live in Texas, this may seem like something that is bad, but surely it cannot impact me, right? Wrong! This is not the first bill of this nature to pass, South Carolina and Mississippi have both recently been trying to find ways around Roe v. Wade. Do not convince yourself that this is only a problem in the South either. This is an issue plaguing the country, as evidenced by the California Gubernatorial Recall Election next week (vote, my CA friends!).
We must stand up for our rights and the rights of our uterus-bearing friends in other states and countries. Write to your Representatives, Senators, and Governor, speak up and speak out. Attend the Women’s March on October 2nd to stand up for what is right. We can scream into our social media echo chambers, but we also need to mobilize to ensure that this bill does not last in Texas, and doesn’t create any ideas for other states.
If you need a friend in California, I’ve got you. But in all seriousness, please check out some resources below if you need access to some knowledge, some places to donate to, or plainly an abortion.
In solidarity <3
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