Abortion should be legal in every U.S. State

By Marison H.

 

          Did you know that 42% of all U.S. states have “Enacted an abortion restriction legislation?” That means that 42% of all 50 states are trying to make abortion illegal for women in those states. The legalization of abortion is very important for women in the U.S.

          Veronika was 17 when she found out that she was pregnant, and she knew that abortion was the best option for her. The law in her state said that she needed to have her parents’ permission in order to have an abortion, but her father is immensly religious, and she was fretful that her mother would kick her out. She could not talk to them about it, but she did not know how else to get an abortion. Veronica had to get a lawyer and compile evidence of her maternity and why she wanted to have an abortion. Veronika also had to prove by law that she was “mature” enough to make the decision. In the end, a judge ended up making one of the most important decisions of her life. She felt like, “she was completely out of control.”

One of the 21 states that is trying to make abortion illegal is Texas. Texas is enforcing the S.B. 8 law. The S.B 8 law restricts abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, but not only that, it gives “any person” the right to sue anyone involved or knowing about a abortion after six weeks, including abortion providers, the person getting the abortion, anyone they told about the abortion, and, even in some cases, the driver that took them there. Anyone that “brings a successful suit” will get an award of $10,000 dollars. Dr. Sarah Horvath, a family planning fellow at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said, “Unless a woman is actively trying to get pregnant, she is unlikely to know that she is pregnant at six weeks.” Because of that the S.B 8 law becomes infeasible for women to obey.

             There are many reasons why someone would want an abortion. It could be because they were raped or because of incest. There are also many medical reasons that a women would want an abortion.  Some of them could include: “severe pregnancy complications, making it impossible to continue with the pregnancy,” if you need important treatments that you can't have while you’re pregnant, such as chemotherapy, or if you need medication that you can not have while you are pregnant or if you have a higher risk of a miscarige. There are many other reasons why a women would want and or need an abortion medical and not.

“Five years after having an abortion, over 95 percent of the women in a landmark U.C.  San Francisco study said it was the right decision for them.” In the end, all that matters is that they want what's best for them and know that they now have an opportunity to do what they want with their lives, not what a law decides for them. That is why the legalization of abortion in the U.S is very important, and if abortion continues to be legalized in every state, then it would be an indeispensable step towards women’s rights.