New Texas Abortion Laws and the Fragility of Social Change

The most shocking news recently was the new law passed in Texas that prohibits abortions after a heartbeat is detected, about six weeks into a pregnancy, with no exceptions for rape or incest. Although the new law sounds like it would contradict Roe v. Wade, Texas has managed to get around it by allowing any private citizen to sue a person who has an abortion or anyone who helps them for at least $10,000. Even simply driving someone to a clinic puts you at risk for being sued. 

The most terrifying part about this whole situation for me is how quickly it all happened. It’s amazing to me that so many people were stripped of their rights almost overnight. I always thought that Roe v. Wade would protect people from this kind of thing, but now it seems like we’re on path to reverse all the social change I thought we’d achieved. Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, South Dakota, Kentucky, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, and more are expected to follow in Texas’ footsteps. It makes me wonder what other groups are waiting to take away rights related to gender that we see as guaranteed.

Another thing that this new law reminded me of is just how deep the political divide goes in this country. I am very fortunate to live in Champaign where the majority of people are pretty left-leaning, but events like this remind me of the reality that almost half of the people in the U.S. are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. It really makes you think about how we’re kind of teetering on the edge of becoming a very right-leaning country if we don’t make serious change happen soon.

The good news is that there are people fighting for that change. Organizations like Planned Parenthood and NARAL are making progress for the pro-choice movement, and I have hope that eventually no one will ever have to worry about these basic rights being suddenly taken away.

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/01/1033202132/texas-abortion-ban-what-happens-next

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/09/03/texas-abortion-ban-states/