- The primary goal was to ban abortions after 20 weeks (5 months)
- However, additional affects would include many of the Texas clinics shutting down
- The way this was handled was horrible
- Wendy Davis stood for 10 hours doing something called a filibuster, meaning she had to talk about the issue until the day was over in order to stall the passing of this bill
- Another representative left her father's funeral to basically call the male reps out on their behaviour
- At the end of the day, the bill did not pass
- However, there seems to be a potential for another voting session on the issue, and the fight isn't over yet
Here's my opinion on this:
First of all, 20 weeks is pretty late to get an abortion. Just going to put it out there. However, I don't think the issue is about abortion anymore. Instead, its just pointed out that women have the potential to get rights taken away from them at the whim of representatives that are supposedly representing the will of the people. The politics were disgusting. I'm pretty certain some laws were broken in order to try and create a new one. Go read up on that yourself, I'm not the best person for facts.
Seriously though, when did the rights of the foetus/baby-in-development become more important than the woman it depends on for survival? Yes, the foetus is an individual and all that nonsense. But it cannot survive independently from its mother. I see both sides of the argument here- the whole potential the child may possess and whatnot. However, women who get abortions aren't doing it for fun. They are doing it because they cannot support the child, or cannot handle having one. As a teenager, I can say firsthand I'm not ready to be a mother. If I got pregnant, I'd like the option to get an abortion. That doesn't mean I'd get one. It just means I'd like the option to chose what to do with my body and my life.
Oh, and adoption? I don't think it's a bad thing: in contrast, I think it's a pretty cool idea. But there are so many children in this world who live in poverty. There are lots of children unwanted by their parents. Heck, I was one of them. Personally, I think it's better to not bring children into the world that their parents (or parent) cannot handle. As an international adoptee, I can say from experience that it's really hard to live with the fact that you were unwanted. Possibly a mistake, possibly a by-product of a flawed system. It's a strange position to be in. While I am incredibly grateful for everything I have and the second chance at life I received, I really think this situation should be avoided for the long term good of society. There have always and will always be unwanted children. However, women now have the option of not becoming mothers in the first place.
As a young woman, it's pretty scary to think of the potential lack of rights my American friends and I have. My lesbian friends can only marry in certain states, and it's pretty controversial. There's a chance I may not have control over one of the biggest blessing and curses about being a woman: the fact that I can bear children. The apparent focus on a woman's ability to bear children is frightening. We're not baby making machines over here, and we shouldn't be treated as such. What would some of these conservatives say to women that don't want children, period? Women are worth so much more than their reproductive organs.
Something I really don't understand is why people think it's okay to take away abortion as an option for someone unable to provide for a child. If this bill would make many clinics close, women are not going to just stop having abortions. No- they're going to opt for dangerous illegal abortions without the regulations and even hygiene levels of clinics. I'm not posting a photo of it here, but a widely circulated photo on the internet shows a deceased woman next to a vacuum cleaner. She lost her life trying to give herself an abortion. I do not believe she was the only case of this. Illegal abortions are incredibly risky. Women throw themselves down stairs, starve, get punched in the stomach, etc when they cannot get abortions. I'm not making this stuff up: I remember overhearing some girls discussing this stuff.
So, I've touched on many topics that all fall under women's rights and whatever. I know there are holes in my argument, and that it's not completely sound. Here are the main points again, just to sum it up.
- The politics in Texas were dirty
- Women aren't having abortions for fun. Come on.
- Since when is a foetus more important than a fully developed, functioning woman?
- I want to be able to decide what to do with my body
- Adoption is a great option, but stop acting like it's a golden ticket. It's not that great, and there are still lots of emotions attached
- Women's rights are threatened in the USA, and let's not even get started with homosexuals' "rights"
- Closing clinics will not stop abortions
- Mind your own business and let people decide their own fates.
There we go, the ramblings of a teenager about abortion and women's rights!
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