Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Research Paper 5
Research Paper 5
Research Paper 5
Ana Neal
Dr. Cassel
Eng 1201
01 December 2019
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
Neal 2
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
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
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
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
Neal 4
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
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
Neal 5
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
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
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
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
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.
Neal 8
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
http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/11/15/ohio-lawmakers-want-
ban-all-abortions-charging-doctors-murder/4200463002.
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
living-under-honduras-abortion-ban.
Kilgore, Ed. “Everything You Need to Know About the Abortion Debate.” Intelligencer,
debate-everything-you-need-to-know.html.
Neal 9
Mettler, Katie. “Antiabortion 'Heartbeat' Bills Are Illegal. Why Do Republicans Keep
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
http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment.
Parenthood, Planned. “Roe v. Wade: The Constitutional Right to Access Safe, Legal
http://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/roe-v-wade.
Sherman, Renee Bracey. “Recent Abortion Bans Will Impact Poor People and People of
person/2019/5/18/18630514/missouri-alabama-abortion-ban-2019-racism.