A Response to Kavina Patel’s “Abortion Rights - Texas Women”

A Response to Kavina Patel’s “Abortion Rights - Texas Women” http://thegovernmentnotebook.blogspot.com/2014/02/abortion-rights-texas-women.html

What a heavy, yet important, topic. Abortion has been a hot button issue for decades at this point. Coming to the forefront in the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade in 1973, the debate over abortion rages on. I’m not certain on where I stand on this issue, in all honesty. On one hand I see the immorality of killing or aborting a living being. On the other hand I see viable reasons for following through with such a procedure. I believe that abortions should be handled on a case by case basis and the process should be carried out only after being fully educated and counseled upon. One instance in which I think a woman should be able to abort, directly is when it comes to rape. The most heinous of all crimes in my opinion, women should not have to have a lifelong reminder of this horrific incident. But again on the other hand, I also believe men and women who engage in acts of procreation (for lack of a better term), should be more disciplined in their actions. In other words, don’t use abortion as a means of erasing the actions that took place after a night of binge drinking etc.  Enough about my views.

This current Texas ruling makes it very inconvenient for a pregnant woman to receive an abortion. It seems to fulfill a conservative social view as opposed to a medically-backed, “for the good of the woman and her child’s well being” thought process. As stated by my classmate, Kavina, the Supreme court case Planned Parenthood v. Casey forbids state regulations that have “the purpose or effect of placing a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion of a nonviable fetus”. This, like the topic of abortion itself, appears to have a grey area. How is a “substantial obstacle” quantified? In my opinion there is a place for abortions in today’s society, but they should not be carried out in haste and reactionary. Abortions should be carried out only after proper counseling, whether it be parents, professionals, spouses, or other people who have the woman’s best interest in mind. Also, accurate information and education should be readily available about this oft-debated decision. Finally, abortion should be carried out after other options have been exhausted, if a woman is able to bring herself to carrying the child to term and arranging an adoption this appears a better option in my eyes. Again, 100% the mother’s decision.  The woman should absolutely decide on her own if this is the right option for her, but not as a reaction, instead a sound-minded decision.

For Texas to more or less “hassle” women about this life-altering decision is out of line in my view. It is not a state’s duty to decide for a woman if she must carry a child to term. Nor is it our national government’s place to force women who may have conceived through traumatic circumstances, to carry that offspring to term. Texas has a long history of conservative, religious-based viewpoints, so I am not surprised that this law was passed. Though it does show a shift toward more liberal viewpoints here in Texas, with a narrow 5 to 4 margin in the vote.