Selena Martinez
On September 1, 2021, Texas passed the “Texas Heart Beat Act.” This is the first six-week abortion ban in the United States and the first enforced by civil lawsuits.
Civil lawsuits meaning private citizens can “sue abortion providers and anyone else who helps a woman obtain an abortion — including those who give a woman a ride to a clinic or provide financial assistance to obtain an abortion.” according to NPR.
And no cases of rape and incest are not valid for a medically excused abortion. Although, people have the right to their own bodies outside the idea of being violated.
Six weeks is too early for most people to find out they are pregnant.
According to Huffington Post, “If you’re one day late for your period, you may already be four weeks pregnant. That’s assuming you have a 28-day cycle.”
But there are many exceptions to this time frame, some people don’t know they’re pregnant for months.
But are we really the problem? One with a uterus can only get pregnant once within 9 months, those with sperm? They can impregnate numerous women, no limit.
So, why don’t men get vasectomies to prevent unwanted pregnancies?
According to the Urology Care Foundation, a “Vasectomy is minor surgery to block sperm from reaching the semen that is ejaculated from the penis. A vasectomy prevents pregnancy better than any other method of birth control, except abstinence.”
Birth control for women has many side effects and is not as effective as a vasectomy.
The best part of a vasectomy? They’re reversible! You can completely reverse the vasectomy until you are ready to have kids.
Why put the burden on women when men are fertile 365 days per year?
Oh? Did the idea of regulation and control over what to do with your body make you uncomfortable and resentful to the idea of having someone tell you what to do with your own body?
Well, this is the case for women in America where society and politics put us at the responsibility and accountability for unwanted pregnancies.
Truth is, no one’s body should be regulated.
Instead of banning abortions and suing women for having one, we should focus on making abortions less necessary, to begin with.
According to Giving Compass “Unintended pregnancy remains most common among poor women, women of color and women without a high school education. Women living in poverty have a rate of unintended pregnancy five times higher than those with middle or high incomes.”
“In 2011, nearly half of pregnancies in the U.S. were unintended,” according to Giving Compass.
Women have the right to choose what they want to do with their bodies, and this right is protected by Roe v Wade in 1973.
The American Progress Organization reported that the only way to reduce abortions were the following:
1) Comprehensive sexuality education that includes medically accurate information about abstinence and contraception.
2) Insurance coverage of and public funding for family planning services;
3) Greater access to emergency contraception (which prevents pregnancy and does not cause abortion.)
4) Programs that curb domestic violence and sexual abuse.
We know this to be true as there was as Giving Compass noted there was a “6% drop in abortions due to the Title X program that allowed family planning programs and easier access to birth control.”
Let’s support women instead of trying to control them.
References
https://www.npr.org/2021/09/01/1033202132/texas-abortion-ban-what-happens-next
https://www.insider.com/texas-abortion-ban-planned-parenthood-hotlines-now-crisis-centers-2021-9
https://www.urologyhealth.org/urology-a-z/v/vasectomy
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMsa1506575
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/news/2006/01/20/1796/the-right-way-to-reduce-abortion/
Interesting.