Rahdin Salehian
// Why the Texas Heartbeat Act is so problematic //
Texas’s new anti-abortion law, the Texas Heartbeat Act, sparked well-deserved backlash throughout the country when it went into effect on September 1. The Texas Heartbeat Act gives women in the state only six weeks time to make the decision on whether or not to have an abortion, an unacceptable policy. Six weeks fails to give women enough time to learn if they are pregnant, and if any fetal cardiac activity is detected, women are not allowed to have an abortion. The ability to choose whether or not to have an abortion is a human right. Lawmakers who have never even experienced pregnancy have no right to restrict a woman’s freedom to abort their baby.
Shortly after the Texas Heartbeat Act was passed, the Supreme Court upheld the law, and by doing so, failed to uphold equal justice. In 1973, the court put a stop to an anti-abortion law, now known as Roe v. Wade. This new law was the Supreme Court’s chance to step up again against a law made by men that tries to assert power over women, but the institution failed.
The motive behind the Texas Heartbeat Act is clear: to stop women from getting abortions, as it gives them only six weeks to make the decision. This is only two weeks after women miss their periods, giving them barely any time to decide. Since getting an abortion is such a difficult decision to make, the little time women have to think about it also means they have little control over their body. The law targets women, yet was written and overwhelmingly voted for by men, and men should not have control over women’s bodies and rights. Texan voters are pretty split on the law as well, with about half supporting it. In a world where advocacy for women and their rights is on the rise, this law just shows that more needs to be done to ensure women’s rights can’t be restricted by men in power.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott defended the law, pledging that the state will “eliminate all rapists from the streets of Texas” as a safeguard against unjust pregnancies. This is a flawed claim, especially considering that Texas is nearly 10% lower than the national average when it comes to solving rape cases. Such a statement is simply an effort to deflect from the issue at hand. Further, not all abortions are rape-related. It is also important to note that when consenting to sex, women are not simultaneously consenting to pregnancy, as just 1% of abortions are rape-related. The law’s purpose of eliminating abortions from the state is morally wrong because nobody but the woman should be able to make the decision of what they do with their bodies. The legislators of Texas must consider this issue from the perspective of a woman.
The backlash resulting from the policy serves as a reminder that anti-abortion laws pull us back as a society. The law is incredibly harmful to women’s reproductive rights, especially in a country that aims for freedom and equality for all.
Pro-choice supporters take the streets to protest the Texas Heartbeat Act outside of the Texas State Capitol.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott poses after signing the Texas Heartbeat Act.
