Under Senate Bill 8, Texas prohibits abortions after about six weeks gestation, except in cases of

a medical emergency. Before its passage, Texas laws had already banned abortions after twenty
weeks. “Abortion is already effectively outlawed in Texas under a statute predating Roe v.
Wade. And the procedure had been severely curtailed in Texas since Sept. 1, when a state law
took effect prohibiting abortions after six weeks of pregnancy” (Mekelburg, 2022). Abortion
providers throughout Texas stopped performing abortions hours after they were decided, citing
legal concerns over the status of the restrictions already in place on abortions in Texas. Laws
banning or severely limiting the procedure went into effect in a dozen states following the U.S.
Supreme Courts reversal on June 24 that ended a constitutional right to abortion. While women
do have a constitutional right to abortion, states such as Texas have sought to impose restrictions
on some aspects of the procedure. Laws limiting abortion access went into effect this week in
several states, including Texas.
Texas became the nation's most populous state this week, with laws in the books that effectively
outlaw abortion by the threat of criminal charges against doctors performing the procedure.
Under new state laws, performing an abortion in Texas is now a first-degree felony, which is the
second-most-severe crime level in the Texas penal code. Now, since all abortions are illegal, all
abortions could be classified as murders under the state criminal code. The sole exception is for
abortions performed as a medical emergency; Texas's heartbeat bill does not provide an
exception for pregnancies that are induced by rape or incest.
Texas has the nation's strictest abortion laws, including mandatory ultrasounds and parental
consent for minors. Texas offers a preview of what we could expect if the US Supreme Court
overturns Roe, and states can pass abortion bans and punish people who break them. “Roe v.
Wade (1973), a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case, established that most laws against abortion
violate a constitutional right to privacy, overturning existing state laws outlawing or restricting
abortion. It is one of the most controversial decisions in Supreme Court history”
(AmericanPolitics). In the United States Supreme Court 5-3 ruling in Whole Woman's Health v.
Hellerstedt, the Texas law was struck down which placed specific requirements on abortion
clinics, including the requirement for doctors to have admitting privileges to a hospital within 30
miles of a clinic, and setting standards for the clinics that were like those for surgery centers.
Known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), a new abortion restrictor limits our ability to provide abortion
care in the State of Texas after approximately 6 weeks (about 1 and a half months) gestation,
sometimes even before.
Texas has the nation's most restrictive abortion laws, including a requirement that babies be
given an ultrasound and parental approval of the child. Before its passage, Texas laws had
already banned abortions after 20 weeks (about 4 and a half months). Last year, a GOP-
dominated Legislature passed a new law giving a Texas woman not the standard 23 or 24 weeks
(about 5 and a half months), but about six weeks after conception -- and this includes cases of
rape and incest. The new law means thousands of Texas women every month cannot access an
abortion in the state that they desire. The Texas law is also hurting reproductive healthcare
providers across the country, but especially in states close enough to Texas for people to drive
there to access safe, legal abortion care. In the U.S. Supreme Court 5-3 ruling in Whole Woman
Health v. Hellerstedt, the Texas law was struck down, imposing requirements on abortion clinics,
including requiring doctors to have admit privileges in a hospital within 30 miles of a clinic and
setting standards for the clinics that are like those for surgery centers. The Texas law also
provided an early hint that the current Supreme Court, which has upheld the ban, may be ready
to overturn Roe v. Wade. Following the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973,
Texas decided against overturning the anti-abortion laws that were in place and had already been
rendered unconstitutional and unenforceable. Since June 24, the day that Roe v. Wade was struck
down, Texas has begun enforcing laws banning all abortions.
If the divided U.S. Supreme Court reverses Roe v. Wade and the Mississippi case in May or
June, Texas and a handful of other states have already passed a triggered law that would outlaw
abortion altogether. Texas offers a preview of what we might expect if the U.S. Supreme Court
overturns Roe, and states are allowed to enact bans on abortions and punish people who break
the law. A federal judge ordered Texas to stay its six-week ban on abortion Wednesday, Oct. 6.
District Court for the Southern District of Texas ordered U.S. District Judge Robert Pittman's
ruling is the first legal hit against the six-week abortion ban. Known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8),
these new abortion restrictions restrict our ability to provide abortion care in Texas past
approximately six weeks of gestational age, sometimes even sooner. Under SB 8, you will need
an extra ultrasound during your second visit to ensure you are still within Texas's new legal
limits for abortion care. State law requires that all individuals seeking abortions make at least
two visits to the abortion facility. While women are guaranteed the right to an abortion under the
Constitution, states such as Texas are trying to impose restrictions on some aspects of the
procedure.
The fact is, there are a lot of reasons women end pregnancies rather than choosing to adopt, and
vice versa. Abortion is not an option for many women, not only because it goes against their
beliefs, but also because they find out they are pregnant late. If you are later in pregnancy, that
could be the main factor leading you to opt for adoption over abortion. This is important to
know, as the cost of an abortion vs. an adoption is a factor in many women's decisions. If you are
not prepared to bear these costs now, then both adoption and abortion may be options for you.
“While you may need to pay to cover the costs of an abortion procedure, adoption is always
100% free to you” (ConsideringAdoption, 2021). Adoption is not an easy emotional choice, but
if you take the time to create your list of pros and cons for adopting versus having an abortion
and parenting, you might discover that this is the better choice. Pro-choice advocates say one of
the biggest pros of adoption is the independence it gives women; being able to choose an
abortion gives women more control over the choices about whether or when they will have
children. Pro-life arguments also say there would not need to be an abortion if there were good
adoption policies in place allowing people to place their children up for adoption. Instead of
having an abortion option, women should be giving unwanted babies to people who cannot have
children.
Women who choose to abort will not fully experience pregnancy or birth, nor will they get a
chance to meet their child and see them grow as they would if they were parents or in an open
adoption. In societies in which women are seen as machines to bear children, choosing abortion
gives them a sense of self-identity and a choice about the destiny of their unborn children.
Abortion helps parents to gain the upper hand when it comes to deciding what type of children
they will be allowed to raise. If the woman knows she does not want to get pregnant or has
medical complications that will make it impossible for her to carry her pregnancy to term, this
may be the reason abortion is better than adoption in her situation. “For those women who get
raped and then get pregnant, abortion is the only way out to save them from the merciless
society, many such women usually commit suicide because the society usually disapproves of
their character and people start chitchatting about the woman who has been raped, they don’t
refrain from passing lewd comments and making the victim even more guilty of herself, in such
a case abortion has saved the day for many women” (StudyCorgi, 2022).
We need to keep acting - today and every day - toward a future where every individual, in every
state, has access to abortion. If the U.S. Supreme Court rules, as expected, that all states may
limit abortions to the initial stages of pregnancy, or ban the procedure entirely, hundreds of
thousands of Americans are likely to begin traveling to states where abortion remains legal.
Congress can and should take immediate action to defend abortion rights in every state.

American Politics |, http://www.laits.utexas.edu/gov310/JU/Roe_Wade/index.html.

“A Complete Guide to Information about Adoption vs. Abortion.” Considering Adoption |, 21 June
2021, https://consideringadoption.com/pregnant/is-adoption-right-for-you/adoption-or-
abortion/.

Mekelburg, Madlin. “Abortion Rights Groups Brace for Arrival of Texas 'Trigger Law'.” Statesman,
Austin American-Statesman, 25 Aug. 2022,
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/state/2022/08/25/abortion-rights-
groups-prepare-for-texas-trigger-law/65413765007/.

“Pros and Cons of Abortion: Free Essay Example.” StudyCorgi.com, https://studycorgi.com/pros-

and-cons-of-abortion-essay/.