With the recent U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 ruling and the refusal to block the Texas abortion ban, the state’s Heartbeat Act was set into motion. This ban, signed into action by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, prevents abortions for people who are six weeks pregnant. However, according to Medical News Today, a woman is oftentimes unsuspecting of pregnancy at six weeks.
The abortion ban compromises not only those involved in the abortions — from clinic workers to rideshare drivers — but also undermines Roe v. Wade, a historical U.S. Supreme Court case leading to the legalization of abortions nationwide in 1973. As summarized by Cornell School of Law, Roe v. Wade ensured the constitutional right that a woman could undergo an abortion preceding the viability of the fetus, typically 22 to 24 weeks within a pregnancy.
Furthermore, the Texas law allows citizens to sue anyone who assists a woman with her abortion, known as “aids and abets.” As stated in an article published by the BBC, the charges are priced as high as $10,000.
“The Court’s order is stunning,” Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent. “Presented with an application to enjoin a flagrantly unconstitutional law engineered to prohibit women from exercising their constitutional rights and evade judicial scrutiny. The Court should not be so content to ignore its constitutional obligations to protect not only the rights of women, but also the sanctity of its precedents and of the rule of law.”
Abbott, a staunch pro-life supporter, has contradicted himself and his Catholic religion on multiple occasions.
“Our creator endowed us with the right to life, and yet millions of children lose their right to life every year because of abortion,” Abbott stated in a video during the signing of the Heartbeat Act.
But, although vehemently opposed to abortion, Abbott does not shy away from the death penalty. As stated in an article published by the Chicago Tribune, he referenced the death penalty as “Texas justice.”
Moreover, the Christian belief system, which Abbott bases his values upon, was built on the freedom of choice –– beginning with the biblical choice of Adam and Eve to sin to Cain’s ability to choose to murder or spare the life of his brother. These cases are both examples of people’s right to act on their own basis of beliefs.
Simply because the Bible is the subject of personal morality does not mean it should be used as the basis for legal arguments — especially with the constitutional legality detailing the separation of church and state.
The Supreme Court’s decision regarding the Texas abortion plan compromised constitutional rights for Texas residents, and now there is a greater question as to how other states may follow Texas in banning abortion after six weeks.
