Texas passes new anti abortion legislation: “The Heartbeat Bill”

Texas becomes the 20th state to pass anti abortion law, the Heartbeat bill

Texas has just passed a new anti abortion law that bans abortion as early as six weeks.

On May 19th 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed the Heartbeat bill, banning abortions at six weeks; which is before most women know they’re pregnant. The punishment for breaking this law is up to 10 years in prison.

This bill holds exceptions for no one, not even in cases of rape or incest, using the rationale that “public and private agencies provide emergency contraception in cases of rape or incest.” But some victims are either not able to physically receive the contraception or not able to receive it within the 72 hour window. Emergency contraception is only 95% effective.

This Heartbeat bill is different than other that have been passed in the past. It allows citizens to sue anyone at all involved in an abortion, whether it’s receiving or providing. The person doesn’t have to have a personal connection to the person receiving the abortion. This is likely to lead to a huge increase in the numbers of lawsuits against people who participate in abortion. “This bill allows literally anyone, including non-Texas residents who maybe have zero connection to the person having an abortion, it allows them to use lawsuits to harass people,” critics say.

“Our creator endowed us with the right to life,” said Abbott before signing the bill, “and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion. In Texas, we work to save those lives.”

By making abortion almost completely illegal, it raises some danger for desperate women wanting to get rid of the embryo. It could lead to them taking measures into their own hands and using unsafe and illegal ways to expel it. Some methods such as ingesting toxic chemicals like bleach or trying to insert sharp objects into the uterus could lead to death. 

Around a week after the bill was released, a high school valedictorian, Paxton Smith, used her valedictorian speech as an opportunity to express her concern over the new bill. “We cannot stay silent,” she stated, “I have dreams, hopes and ambitions. Every girl graduating does…And without our input and without our consent, our control over that future has been stripped away from us.”

“I hope that you can feel how gut-wrenching that is,” Smith said. “I hope you can feel how dehumanizing it is, to have the autonomy over your own body be taken away from you.”

Image credit: Canva