By Antónia Mazzilli
As I am sure you have heard a new law was passed in Texas about women’s rights to have an abortion. According to the newest law no abortion can be had if a fetal heartbeat is heard, a heartbeat can be heard as early as six weeks into a pregnancy by this time most women have no idea they are pregnant. Before this law was passed elective abortions were allowed up to 20 weeks post-fertilization.
First off, what is abortion? Abortion is when a woman gets a procedure to end a pregnancy. It uses a machine or surgery to remove a fetus or embryo.
The abortion law was passed even though a 54% majority of people disagree with the decision in Texas. The law allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and anyone else who helped obtain an abortion, even if they had only driven them to the clinic. Anyone who successfully sues a provider is entitled to at least 10,000 dollars. This law makes no exceptions for cases involving rape.
Other states have tried to follow in Texas’s footsteps but have had their choices challenged by abortion rights groups and federal courts. Of course, this will also cause quite a few problems for the abortion providers in Texas who will be out of work.
A Texas judge recently ruled against this ban saying that it violates the Texas Constitution and that it should not be enforced in court. This argument is backed up by many people saying that it deprives Texans of their rights, autonomy, quality of life, and health.
