The morality of abortion has been a polarizing issue for decades, even despite the Supreme Court’s decision to make it legal in 1973.
Every American seems to have an opinion on this controversial topic and with a new law in Texas that will take effect on Dec. 19, the controversy is only growing.
This week, Texas enacted a law that mandates that aborted fetuses be either cremated or buried rather than disposed of as medical waste.
Critics estimate the additional cost of each cremation or burial to be around $2,000. The law was first introduced in July by Governor Greg Abbott in an attempt to protect the public’s safety. The Governor also claims that this law will be “giving voice to the unborn.”
However, the law does not require women who have had a miscarriage to utilize these services unless the miscarriage took place in a healthcare facility. Texas, along with several other red states, has a history of trying to block a woman’s right to choose and now other states like Arkansas and Indiana are looking to adopt similar practices. Vice President-elect Mike Pence has already shown support for this legislation in Indiana.
The Republican response to this was that the law will validate the lives of the unborn by treating them as deceased persons. Democrats responded with outcries that the law violates the Constitution and endangers women’s lives.
This is because if a woman needed an abortion due to an unsafe pregnancy but could not afford it, her life would be at stake. Other critics say the law is an attack against low-income women who cannot afford an abortion.
The medical community has also openly opposed this law on the grounds that it requires every piece of fetal tissue to undergo either a burial or a cremation, which medical officials believe is a waste of time and resources.
This is a thinly veiled scare tactic that the Texas government is using to try to deter women from seeking abortions.
Texas politicians are using psychological ploys in order to push their beliefs onto millions of others. Those who identify as pro-life tend to only do so because of religious affiliations, which goes against everything this country stands for.
If this country were truly secular, abortion would not be stigmatized or shamed. The separation between church and state is a necessary part of the United States government and yet religion still has a role in our legislature.
Dr. Daniel Grossman, an obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences professor at the University of California, San Francisco states, “Abortion is healthcare – and any attempt by policy makers to separate it from the rest of medicine is artificial.”
It is expected that this law will be challenged by the Supreme Court in the next several months, and Texas Republicans are anticipating having to fight for this.
Despite this huge setback, there are still many people and organizations fighting for reproductive rights.
If this is something that you feel passionate about, I encourage you to donate to Planned Parenthood or NARAL.