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Ana Neal

Dr. Cassel

Eng 1201

01 December 2019

Protecting the Right to Choice & Safety

In recent news, there has been legislation introduced that could possibly restrict surgical

abortions. Some of the laws are banning abortion as early as six weeks and are even going so far

as charging women with murder due to miscarriages. Lawmakers are signing laws like this into

the legislature all over the country saying the laws are being put into place to “protect those who

cannot protect themselves” as said by Gov. Mike Dewine (Cincinnati Enquirer). The reality of

these laws is that they do not keep anyone safe but in fact put more lives in danger. When safe

accessible options are not available, people will take matters into their own hands which can

result in dangerous alternatives that can result in infection and possibly death. Banning abortion

and enforcing strict laws regarding the practice is both dangerous and a violation of basic

healthcare.

In 1973, a Texas court case Roe v. Wade declared that safe and legal abortion is a

constitutional right. This came to be after a woman in Texas known as “ Jane Roe” wanted to

terminate her pregnancy and was denied by the state. She saw this as unconstitutional being that
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the only way she could receive the procedure was to save her life or if the fetus was the product

of rape, incest or had and abnormality, as is the case for most places enforcing these laws now.

Roe’s case changed laws so that safe abortion is recognized as a constitutional right. The

Supreme court changed the way abortion and abortion regulating it were defined in the United

States. (Planned Parenthood)

Stricter abortion laws will cause people to search for an alternative that may not be safe.

This idea has been proven where there are total abortion bans, Honduras is one of these places.

Here there are no exceptions to receive the procedure including rape or incest. These laws also

do not provide exceptions in the instance that the procedure may save the mother’s life or if the

fetus were not to survive outside of the womb or be “viable”. A common trend with these

restrictive laws. Why is this important? When the option of safe abortion is unavailable, people

will find other options that are not as safe as a medical abortion can be when practiocd in

regulated and safe envirnments. (Braunschweiger & Wurth)

These unsafe and unregulated methods of abortion can possibly put the lives, mental

health, and overall health of women seeking an abortion in dangerous settings. In Honduras, the

women sill look for ways to terminate the pregnancy with the use of medications and

“clandestine clinics”, which are unsafe abortions where there is no proper medical care or

hygienic practices. (Braunschweiger & Wurth). These alternative methods leave women in need

extensive medical care for pain and uncontrollable bleeding resulting in these types of

procedures. Since there are no abortive options available, including the morning-after pill, which

is also banned, many women have no other option. (Braunschweiger & Wurth) Restrictive laws

like this, for example,only put women in danger and increase the chances of injury and in some

cases death. (Human Rights Watch)

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The majority of the people affected by these laws are those in minority groups. These

people tend to be persons of color, immigrants, or below the United States poverty line making

them “poor”. The people who fit into the following criteria do not have the available resources

available to receive the help they may need because they may not be in a position to afford

caring for an abortion or caring for a child in general.(Sherman) Insurance in the United States is
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something that some people do not have access to or can not afford.(Sherman) In this instance, a

program known as Medicare is in place to ensure these people have access to the care they need.

For those wanting an abortion that is not medically advised, they do not get this option with

Medicare. (Planned Parenthood)

For some this option is blocked because of the Hyde Amendment. This doucument

includes a federal ban on abortion excluding cases of incest, rape or a pregnancy in which the

woman’s life is at risk. Heallth care related prganancies are covered by this insurance but the

choice of limiting this care to abortion is unfair to the people who are not in the position to care

for a child or carry a pregnancy to term. This amendment prevents health care and places women

into situations where unsafe alternatives are considered like the ones discussed in the previously.

(Sherman)( Planned Parenthood) The resources are available but discriminatory laws like the

Hyde Amendment, for example, prevent women in low-income situations from receiving the
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proper care and help they need. (Planned Parenthood)

The laws being written that are putting limitations on abortion are both extremely

unconstitutional and violate basic health care laws, as stated in the article writen on Roe vs Wade

(Planed Parenthood). In more recent news, the topic of “abortion bans” has become very popular.

In Alabama, legislation was pushed to completely ban all abortion in the state, this legislation

would also prevent abortion in the event of rape or incest (Board). This law would ban the

procedure at any stage in pregnancy and would even punish doctors with up to ninety-nine years

in prison with a felony charge. The only instance in which a woman could receive the procedure

would be in the event of an emergency. This law is one of the many restrictive laws throughout

the United States. This is significant because this specific law was passed in Alabama, denying

safe abortive care to women in this state. (Board)

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There are more laws being passed known as “ heartbeat laws” around the country that

just as extreme as the Alabama law. The heartbeat bill was passed in North Dakota in 2013

which banned abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, around six weeks, before someone

would know if they were pregnant. (Mettler) More laws similar to this were recently introduced

and signed in action in Kentucky, Mississippi, and Ohio. Laws like this have been introduced for

years and shot down every time because they are unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

(Mettler) This could change being that there are conservative justices in the Supreme Court.

When conservative justices, lawmakers, and pro-life groups are able to push their biases

onto others, it results in dangerous laws like this. Being that personal values become present

when they make these laws. “It’s a bill that I hope will be welcomed by the Supreme Court of the

United States,” says Janet Porter, (Mettler 2019), who created the first heartbeat bill in 2010. She

later introduced the bill to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine who signed the Ohio bill in action

earlier this year. When people in a position in power abuse their position and change laws that

harm people in efforts to “ help them” it is unjust and unconstitutional.

Now let’s argue about everything I just said. There are many common misconceptions

that people have regarding abortion. The most popular one is that abortion is murder, this very

understandable idea is extremely untrue and is mostly based on religious and personal beliefs. A

fetus is actually unable to survive on its own until about 23-24 weeks of gestation. Even though

there is a heartbeat it is just how the fetus develops.(Kilgore) Another misconception is that

abortion is used in place of birth control which is also false. Accidents happen, this is just a fact

of life, there is no 100% effective way to prevent pregnancy except to avoid sex and

contraceptives do not always work. Other cases like incest, rape or unexpected health issues may

also cause someone to seek an abortion. (SA Health)

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While writing this essay there was a constant trend that did not go unnoticed. The

lawmakers who introduced and signed these bills such as the “heartbeat bill” was done to “

protect those who cannot protect themselves,” says Gov. Mike Dewine. (Balmert) When in fact

these laws do the exact opposite. They endanger lives and expose women to options that can

possibly kill them.( In order to protect people, you must give them the option and resources to

make choices that do not infringe on their basic rights as people. Denying abortive procedures is

denying healthcare and that is what makes it so dangerous.

This is a topic that I am extremely passionate about because everyone deserves the right

to safe accessible health care. When this is not an option, dangerous alternatives are sought out.

This is not necessary when the proper help and resources are available to people and laws are

being put into place to take these safe environments away from them.
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Works Cited
“10 Things You Need to Know about Abortion Laws in the US.” Abortion Laws in the
US – 10 Things You Need to Know | Amnesty International, Amnesty
International , 11 June 2019,
http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/06/abortion-laws-in-the-us-10-
things-you-need-to-know/.
Balmert, Jessie. “Ohio GOP Lawmakers Want to Ban All Abortions, Charging Doctors

with Murder.” Cincinnati.com, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2019,

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/15/ohio-lawmakers-want-

ban-all-abortions-charging-doctors-murder/4200463002.

Board, Editorial. “Opinion | Extreme Antiabortion Laws Are Unconstitutional. That

Doesn't Make Them Less Dangerous.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 17

May 2019, http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/extreme-antiabortion-laws-

are-unconstitutional-that-doesnt-make-them-less-

dangerous/2019/05/17/2c7ece80-78d9-11e9-bd25-c989555e7766_story.html.

Braunschweiger, Amy, and Margaret Wurth. “Life or Death Choices for Women Living

Under Honduras' Abortion Ban.” Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Watch, 17

Sept. 2019, http://www.hrw.org/news/2019/06/06/life-or-death-choices-women-

living-under-honduras-abortion-ban.

“Induced Abortion in the United States.” Guttmacher Institute, Guttmacher Institute , 18

Sept. 2019, http://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states.

Kilgore, Ed. “Everything You Need to Know About the Abortion Debate.” Intelligencer,

Intelligencer, 17 June 2019, http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2019/06/abortion-

debate-everything-you-need-to-know.html.
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Mettler, Katie. “Antiabortion 'Heartbeat' Bills Are Illegal. Why Do Republicans Keep

Passing Them?” The Washington Post, WP Company, 12 Apr. 2019,

http://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/04/12/anti-abortion-heartbeat-bills-

are-illegal-why-do-republicans-keep-passing-them/.

“Myths and Facts about Abortion.” SA Health, Government of South Australia, 24 July

2019, http://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/public content/sa health

internet/health topics/health conditions prevention and treatment/abortions/myths

and facts about abortion.

Parenthood, Planned. “Hyde Amendment.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund,

http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment.

Parenthood, Planned. “Roe v. Wade: The Constitutional Right to Access Safe, Legal

Abortion.” Planned Parenthood Action Fund,

http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/roe-v-wade.

Sherman, Renee Bracey. “Recent Abortion Bans Will Impact Poor People and People of

Color Most.” Vox, Vox, 18 May 2019, http://www.vox.com/first-

person/2019/5/18/18630514/missouri-alabama-abortion-ban-2019-racism.