Cowboys v. Texas

Introduction

As a woman from the state of Texas, I constantly worry about the state of Women’s right to freedom of choice. The conversation and ideas surrounding abortion have been misconstrued due to the general ignorance and thirst for control stemming from certain legislators of the republican party. Texas has made it abundantly clear a woman has virtually no say in a reproductive process that will affect her mental and physical health, to prioritize the rights of an unborn embryo. In addition to violating civil rights, persons seeking the operation could be persecuted and criminalized if they seek medical help for an abortion.  Each ban and bill drives the probability of dangerous, self-afflicted alternatives being performed by scared individuals who are burdened with conceiving against their will.  

In Texas, the pledge of allegiance is held close to the hearts of true cowboys and patriots. The cowboys of Texas range from the common citizen to the representatives of our legal system. Some stand tall to recite the ending phrase of, “One nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” however liberty and justice are reserved for those with Y chromosomes. The conversation turns hostile to those with a womb who attempt to exercise their liberty to abortion. Texas has been the leading state to haphazardly pass bills that serve to persecute and criminalize women.

State & Legislation

At the beginning of September Governor Greg Abbott signed the Senate 8 Bill into effect that placed various unreasonable limitations on the procedure of abortion. The key components of this bill in part are stated in, “Sec.A171.204.A PROHIBITED ABORTION OF UNBORN CHILD WITH DETECTABLE FETAL HEARTBEAT; EFFECT. (a)except as provided by Section 171.205, a physician may not knowingly perform or induce an abortion on a pregnant woman if the physician detected a fetal heartbeat for the unborn child as required by Section 171.203 or failed to perform a test to detect a fetal heartbeat.” At 6 weeks a heartbeat is developed by the fetus, but in most cases, the mother doesn’t even know she’s pregnant. As a result, 58% were passed 6 weeks when they first called the clinic, contradicting the governor’s absurd time limit of six weeks to have a procedure before then. Bills like Senate 8 ignore children who are living and suffering in Texas, which seems to be a reoccurring mistake on conservative ideals as such. 

To further punish women for the “murder” of an unborn child extremists of the abortion ban have publicly stated and pushed for the death penalty. The main objective of these bans is to minimize freedom of choice even when it means victims will suffer “with no exceptions for rape, sexual abuse, incest, and fetal anomaly diagnoses.” Legislators such as Bryan Slaton, Jeff Leach, and Tony Tinderholt have all introduced an ill-intentioned bill relating to legally killing women to compensate for the unborn child’s fatality. Slaton even went as far as to say, “It’s time Republicans make it clear that we actually think abortion is murder. … Unborn children are dying at a faster rate in Texas than COVID patients, but Texas isn’t taking the abortion crisis seriously.” Legislators like Slaton continuously fail to care about the actual well-being of children. While taking away autonomy from women Texas Republicans should work on providing resources to educational programs that instruct,” more than 111,000 homeless children and youth each year. Almost 16,000 of these homeless Texas youth are “unaccompanied” by an adult.”. 

Besides the fear of self-harm thousands of low-income households cannot reasonably afford to care for a child. Research shows that “in Texas (4.07M out of 27.6M people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.3%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 – 34, followed by Females 18 – 24.” How is a woman to reasonable care for the fetus once it is carried to term,  when she has to pay the astounding legal fee from either her families lawsuit against her, the paternal sides lawsuit, or both in addition to the several thousand dollar medical bills. 

Conclusion

While we celebrate International Women’s Month, Texas legislators have deprived women on a wide scale and have failed to empathize with us because having an abortion is too close to, “people playing God.” Texas has fabricated a belief system to legally invade women’s right to privacy and further push us into outlaw status. As a state, it is our job to protect everyone living in the lone star native resident or otherwise. We cannot continue to minimize the voice of women; everyone must use their voice to protect each other’s civil rights. The value of a woman extends far beyond her ability to birth children, the relationship you share with her, or transactional sexual favors she can provide for you. We must care for women as individuals, instead of pillars for domestic servitude. 
Source: (Included in text) and Full link to S.B. No. 8: Click to access SB00008F.pdf