Texas continues to strengthen anti-abortion laws

Texas continues to strengthen anti-abortion laws

On Wednesday, January 4, 2017, a Republican lawmaker filed a new law that would ban abortions in Texas at any stage. It also directs state officials to ignore federal law, which was established by Roe V. Wade.

House Bill 948, written by state Representative Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, is the brand new attempt to force U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the landmark 1973 decision. This established the right to get rid of pregnancy under the 14th Amendment.

“The law assumes all women seeking abortions are minors until they prove otherwise, and places the burden of proof on the physician performing the abortion to request a proof of identity and age,” says The Texas Department of State Health Services.

Women in Texas are allowed to have an abortion up to 22 weeks from their last menstrual period. A woman can only have a procedure any later than that if her life is in danger.

Women are required to have an ultrasound 24 hours before having an abortion if she is within 22 weeks in order to make sure the fetus is okay to be aborted. This was the result of a law signed by Rick Perry. Providers of abortion fought this measure because it forced women to make two trips to a clinic for only one procedure.

24 hours before the abortion, providers are required to give women a booklet that links abortion to a heightened risk of breast cancer. The book is titled, Women’s Right to Know.

In 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law that would require women to prove they were not a minor before they were able to get an abortion. “The law was part of a package of bills aimed at tightening restrictions on the legal bypass option that minors can use to obtain an abortion without parental consent,” says Madlin Mekelburg.

Surgical abortion procedures use “a combination of suction and instruments to empty the uterus” says Horvath-Cosper, a a reproductive health advocacy fellow at Physicians for Reproductive Health. Horvath also says, “That is the very standard, normal way to manage both abortion care and pregnancy loss. We assess a patient as an individual and we determine the most appropriate care.”

One of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s priorities for the session is banning “partial-birth.” Partial birth is a method of late-term abortion that ends a pregnancy and results in the death and intact removal of a fetus from the uterus.

The Texas Senate has also passed a law saying that doctors have the right to lie to a pregnant women about birth defects in an attempt to deter women from getting an abortion. This law will allow pro-life doctors to not inform their patients about defects and disorders in order to keep the child safe.

“It seems to be all about restricting and further limiting a woman’s right to exercise her choice as to what she’s going to do in the case of serious defects in the fetus, congenital defects in the fetus,” Sen. José Rodriguez, a Democrat said, during arguments against the bill Tuesday, according to The Houston Chronicle.

Some are saying that Texas laws are “getting out of hand.” Women should have the right to make decisions on what they plan on doing with their child. Wrongful or not.