A state passed a law that banned abortion after six weeks
SAN ANTONIO—Texas recently passed a law in September that bans abortions.
On Sept. 1, Texas passed the Texas Heartbeat Act that banned abortion after the first six-week term.
“Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott, according to The Texas Tribune. “The Legislature worked together on a bipartisan basis to pass a bill that [I signed] that ensures that life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved from ravages of abortion.”
The law prohibits abortions once medical professionals can detect a heartbeat, usually around six weeks, which is before some women realize they are pregnant. Any private citizen can sue Texas abortion providers who violate the law and those who help women get the procedure.
“I am in favor of the law because it is fewer risks for the mother and baby to suffer from any unexpected complications,” said a senior student at Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU).
The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest. It also affects thousands of women seeking abortions, but a precise estimate is difficult to know.
“Personally, I am against the abortion law, and I feel women should have the right to her own body,” said another OLLU student. “A baby is a huge responsibility, [which also comes with] financial, emotional and parental expectation that not everyone can meet.”
In 2020, Texas facilities performed about 54,000 abortions on residents, and about 45,000 occurred at eight weeks or less. Some of those abortions could have been legal under the new law if they happened before any heartbeat was detected.
“I’m against it,” said another OLLU senior student. “It is constitutionally illegal for Texas to make such a law and determine the lives of nearly half of its population.”
Texas is one of 14 states with laws that either banned abortion or prohibit it after eight weeks of pregnancy. The other states with abortion laws are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee and Utah.
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