By Dione García, Colombia
Image: BBC News
The Texas Abortion Law that was repeatedly reported on September 1st of 2021, declares that once a fetal heart
beat is detected, abortion ultimately becomes illegal. This period of time where the fetal heartbeat may not be detected can last up to 6 weeks in an average pregnancy. Those who choose to abort the baby after those 6 weeks or after detecting a fetal heartbeat are faced with the possibility of being punished with the death penalty. Currently, Texas is the main state that puts the harsh restriction of 6 weeks until the abortion happens. This law, however, legalized, has been deem
ed controversial ever since it has been founded.
As the act of conceiving a child is not necessarily consensual, there have been many cases of rape victims who have said that the law does not provide them with the right to abort a baby that they did not want. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), the United States Representative since Joe Biden’s presidency, responds to Greg Abbott, the Governor of Texas. “None of this is about sup
porting life. What this is about is controlling women’s bodies and controlling people who are not cisgender men.” Many women agree with this statement AOT made on Twitter, saying Abbott’s comments were an “insulting lie.” On the other hand, Abbott remains unfa
zed, stating that rape is a problem Texas has to work on, but that rape itself is not an excusable justification for the killing of a fetus. In addition to that, he deems 6 weeks as a reasonable time to determine one’s pregnancy and make a decision. For a cisgender man who does not experience pregnancy or the traumatizing experience of being pregnant due to rape, many assert that this conclusion that he made for the bodies of women is not reasonable, and in fact, morally unjust. Although this abortion debate initially sparked a year ago, the establishment of this law brought the voices of women together.
In the end, this law continues to spark the debate between pro-life and pro-choice. Many of those who believe in Christianity supports pro-life due to their religious beliefs saying any type of killing is unjustifiable, but pro-choice believers stand in the position that as not all of these women are affiliated with any religion, they are not forced to adhere to those beliefs of pro-lifers who believe terminating the life of a fetus is a sin. Along with that, the phrase “my body my choice” is used to stand up for those who are pro-choice, chanting their rights to make decisions for their own bodies. For how long this debate will go on remains a question, but the basic rights and justice for these women, especially rape victims, are conclusively at risk due to the abortion law Texas has established.
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