MY BODY MY RULES: WHY BAN ABORTION

A country which is seen as an inspiration all around the world for its liberal thoughts and educated people, recently passed a law that is going to change the entire surface on which USA stands. In the last five months, over five states have passed laws that restrict abortion- Alabama passing the strictest of all with no exceptions for rape and incest.

Covered in red robes (Courtesy novel- The Handmaid’s Tale) people marched on streets to protest this inhuman law that snatches away a woman’s reproductive rights. Women all over the world fail to understand that how can someone else or a man has the right to decide anything for a woman’s body. We say that we are moving towards change and equality is slowly sweeping in but this feels like a huge setback. However, this law is not in action yet and might be challenged in the Supreme Court.

Questions Arising With This Law

·         What about the finances?

According to Guttmacher, around 59% of the people who went for abortion already had one child. Family planning is something personal and the state intervening in it doesn’t make sense. Families who can’t afford raising one more kid usually plan to drop it off. Also, the low income groups who cannot provide a kid with even basic necessities, bringing a kid to the world would be problematic. Does the state have any measures for that? Will they provide them with proper education and a good life?

·         What about Orphanages?

Take the case of Romania when in 1966 abortion was banned there. Due to this, thousands of children were left on the streets or turned over to the states, leading to poor upbringing or death by starvation or some disease. Living in an orphanage also affected them psychologically, which led to shrink in the size of the brain. In this case what does the state plan to do? Are they ready to inherit and observe the possible orphanages?

·         Birth Defects

The advocates are looking forward to raise the question of what the state plan on doing when there are defects in the foetus. Will women get right to abort then?

It is astonishing that the legislation has put a jail term of 99 years on the doctors that go through with this while a man who commits rape of a woman found lying near a dumpster gets prison term for only a few months. The advocates want to turn over Roe in the Supreme Court. In Georgia it is also known as ‘heartbeat’ laws, meaning ban abortion after the first heartbeat of the foetus. This can be around 6 weeks of pregnancy.

It is already hard to get an abortion in America right now, but taking away a woman’s right of what she wants to do with her own body is simply outrageous. They should have the right to decide for themselves and not make it a state thing. Though this law is not legal yet but we hope the equality that we are looking for since years is supported throughout. America’s future is still in doubt and so is the future of women all over the world.