by heyimtalkinghere!
It has been nearly half a century since Roe v. Wade legally confirmed a woman’s right to choose what to do with her pregnancy. Now I find myself googling which states (read: white males in state legislatures) are doing everything they can to restrict that constitutional right. Women’s rights across the country seem to be dropping faster than Ariana Grande’s albums. It’s not just Alabama that recently passed some antiquated BS. “Heartbeat” bills continue to surface in red states across the country. Hey Kentucky, Ohio, Mississippi, and Georgia! Always quick to keep disenfranchised classes in their place.
The majority of states currently limit abortion after 20-24 weeks because, past this point, it would be a higher risk for the woman from a medical perspective. But under a “heartbeat law,” once a heartbeat can be detected, a woman is basically fucked. A heartbeat can be detected as early as 6 weeks when an embryo is less than half an inch in length. Yes, you read that right: an embryo. Because it’s not even considered a fetus at that point. At 6 weeks, is it even realistic to spot a missed period? My cycle has certainly never been like clockwork or a mark-the-calendar type, so thank Goddess, I have an IUD.
It’s moronic that women seeking abortions will face more constraints and red tape than sociopaths with criminal records crossing state lines to buy guns. In states where abortion is legal, it’s generally far from supported by law. Women are given the 3rd degree by medical professionals who are supposed to be there to help them. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but how does the number of sexual partners I’ve had in my life relate to this medical procedure?” In many cases, they also have to walk past aggressive pro-lifers on their way into the clinic (and we’re talking about “pro-lifers” who are fiercely protective of unborn fetuses and embryos but tend to ignore the FACT that the United States leads the world in child gun deaths).
The growing number of states looking to put this into law are all conveniently clumped together geographically. This completely isolates women from that region of the country who are in need and adds the economic burden of having to pay for travel to access an abortion clinic.
New Yorkers, it’s not time to rest easy in our liberal bubble. The goal of this bullshit is to go all the way to the Supreme Court, which could pop that bubble faster than a white woman running to vote for Donald Trump (sorry, ladies, it’s just the truth). As we become frogs soaking in a bathtub of boiling water, the news coverage sounds just as backward as the new legislature it’s trying to critique. Several white men have regurgitated what I’ve read/heard across various news sources in attempts to prove their solidarity. “Can you believe Alabama is banning abortions even when it’s rape or incest?” they ask incredulously. Well, yes, because making that statement proves that many people in this country still don’t think women should have a choice about their pregnancy when it is not the result of rape or incest.
As some very wise women have reiterated, the reason women get abortions is none of anyone’s damn business. When women need to justify their choice to do what they see fit with their bodies, a woman’s body is no longer her own. Taking away women’s rights with exceptions is still taking away her rights. The whole basis of the Roe v. Wade decision was upholding the right to privacy when it comes to medical procedures under the 14th amendment. While it’s under attack, it’s worth thinking about Plan B — a path to Canadian citizenship, or at the very least, stocking up. In the meantime, ladies, remember to vote (while we still have the legal right to do so).