As Roe v. Wade was infamously overturned, a range of predominantly conservative states hurried to pass legislation that restricted the extent of women’s reproductive rights. Among those, the case of Texas remains the most notorious since abortions have virtually been outlawed in it (Bordon et al. 532). Though the specified legal change represents a tremendous blow to women’s fundamental rights in the U.S., changes can still be made once the importance of reinstating these rights is recognized on a statewide level.
Presently, the legal standards regarding abortion in Texas demand that abortions can only be performed before fetal cardiac activity is detected in the womb. Known as the Heartbeat Act, the specified regulation does not include any exceptions, which makes the further fight for female bodily autonomy nearly impossible. Specifically, the Act does not allow making exceptions even in the instances of rape or incest, which suggests that severe trauma is bound to be inflicted not only on women who have been the victims of rape or incest but also on the children to be born as a result of the specified scenarios (Davis et al. 328). Furthermore, denying women the right to make decisions regarding their bodies leads to the denial of bodily autonomy, which, in turn, must be regarded as a severe infringement on basic human rights.
Despite the massive attack on women’s reproductive rights that the infamous Texas abortion ban has produced, there are opportunities for managing the observed issue. Specifically, expanding the exceptions that are currently limited to a handful of scenarios should be regarded as a possible solution. Nonetheless, the current situation is undeniably grim, implying that the further fight for women’s reproductive autonomy is going to be continuous and painstaking.
Works Cited
Davis, Martha F. “The state of abortion rights in the US.” International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics, vol. 159, no. 1, 2022, pp. 324-329.
Gordon, Mollie R., et al. “Undue burdens created by the Texas Abortion Law for vulnerable pregnant women.” American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, vol. 226., no. 4, 2022, pp. 529-534.