Roe v. Wade is under attack in Texas. In late August of 2021 Texas banned most abortions in the state. Six weeks into a pregnancy, when cardiac activity can be detected on the ultrasound, it is too late to get an abortion. This is a violation of women’s rights. Women should get to choose whether they want to have a abortion or not. It is women who have to carry the baby for those nine months. It is a basic right that women should be able to do what they want with their own bodies, and this law will disproportionately affect marginalized women.

The Texas abortion law is far too restrictive with only certain women being able to access abortion at all. The NY Times reports that, “Abortion providers in Texas estimate that 85 percent of patients seeking abortion are at least six weeks pregnant and would be denied care under the new state law.” Women should be given more time. If 85 percent of patients were already past six weeks, it could mean they had no idea they were pregnant at all. If you found out a few days before the six-week mark, it could mean you only had a few days to make a huge decision. The Times article pointed out that, “The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest. It does permit abortions for health reasons, but the exceptions are narrowly drawn, allowing a termination only if the pregnancy could endanger the mother’s life or lead to “substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.” Needing to give birth to a child that you did not even want or that happened because of rape could leave you feeling like its another incident of assault. Of course, wealthier women would still be able to have the abortion somewhere else.

The Texas abortion law affects people with less power more than people with money and resources. According to the Times, “...the measure will create nearly insurmountable obstacles for certain vulnerable populations, abortion providers said. Among them: teenagers, who often don’t realize they are pregnant until later in a pregnancy; low-income people, who need to find about $550 to cover the cost of the procedure; and people of color, including undocumented immigrants.” With this ban, some people that would like to do the procedure will have to go to a different state, and if they don’t have a car or enough money to get out of Texas, having an abortion may be completly impossible. This law is intended to police poor people and undocumented immigrants. Additionally, the NY Times states “...the Texas law deputizes private citizens to sue anyone who performs an abortion or “aids and abets” a procedure. Plaintiffs who have no connection to the patient or the clinic may sue and recover legal fees, as well as $10,000 if they win.” If someone that doesn’t have a lot of money gets sued, they may have to pay a ten thousand dollar penalty plus and even more for a lawyer. Anyone who gets caught could have their life potentially ruined. Instead of helping each other, communities could start turning on each other.

Roe V. Wade has allowed women to have abortions without goverment restriction for many years, but for some reason we have once again started to ban abortions. All women should be allowed to have access to an abortion instead of just a small group. Every woman, no matter their age, financial status, immigration status or ethnicity should be able to have an abortion. Women with resources shouldn’t be the only ones allowed to have this procedure. I can't imagine how hard it must be for women to have a basic right taken away from them. The fact that majority of the Supreme Court justices agreed not to intervene and not to protect the women of Texas concerns me for all the women who may want to have an abortion in the future.