The state of Alabama just voted to pass a law banning abortion at every stage of pregnancy unless the mother's physical or mental health is in jeopardy. This will now be the most restrictive law on abortion in the nation. Surely, this is for the good of women residing here, no?
Absolutely not.
With this law in place, victims of rape or incest will be forced to carry their baby to term and deliver it. If a woman does wish to seek an abortion illegally in Alabama, this offense is punishable by law up to 99 years in prison for the doctor who performs the abortion. How long was Brock Turner sentenced to for raping an unconscious woman behind a dumpster, you ask? Six months with three years of probation to follow.
This law is not only unfair to women, but it also favors rapists more than they already are.
Picture this: your 12-year-old daughter just got her period before the summer starts. She goes to a pool party at the end of the summer and is raped by her friend's older brother while at the party.
She doesn't tell anyone because she's not sure what happened and is scared she'll get in trouble. She misses her period the next month but doesn't say anything because she hasn't been taught comprehensive sexual education yet and doesn't know what it means. Finally, she tells you and you take her to the doctor.
She's 7 weeks pregnant.
Under these new laws, you're about to be a grandparent! Surely, this is what you've always wanted...no? Your 12-year-old daughter's life is now turned upside-down. Even if she were to give the child up for adoption, she would still have to go through a 9-month pregnancy and most likely drop out of school.
Not only is this near-complete ban on abortion a complete violation of women's rights, but this law was not even decided by women in the slightest.
In fact, 25 white men decided the fate of the women of Alabama's uteruses.
If men were able to get pregnant, I'm sure laws would be much less restrictive. These men have no chance of getting pregnant in their life, yet they are able to make decisions that have absolutely nothing to do with them.
The strictest abortion laws in the US have been passed in Alabama by a diverse group of 25 white men… https://t.co/OrwlPXPouA— IFLScience (@IFLScience) 1557927962.0
Let's talk about the term "pro-life." This is a term conservatives use to express their views on abortion. More or less, it means they are in favor of saving the pregnancies that would potentially otherwise be terminated by an abortion. The crazy thing about all this is how lawmakers are able to pick and choose when they would like to protect lives.
What about the pregnant woman's life? What if that pregnant woman is not in fact, a woman, but a child? People who are victims of rape and/or incest will have to have these children, and if they cannot handle giving them up for adoption, they will be reminded of their abuser every time they look at their child.
If these lawmakers were genuinely "pro-life," there would be an absolute ban on semi-automatic weapons, not abortions.
Picking when to be pro-life is wrong and morally unjust. When a woman is pregnant and does not want to carry the baby to term, too bad. But, if someone chooses to purchase a semi-automatic weapon that could kill hundreds of people in under a minute, they are able to do so.
Giving someone the tools to easily kill hundreds of people does not necessarily mean they'll do it, but then why do they need it in the first place? This is like telling a kid they can have a piece of candy, rather, they can go to the store and buy all the candy they want, but they can't eat it.
Is the child going to refrain from eating the candy? Most likely no. So, what's stopping people from carrying out mass shootings?
See also: I Lost Two Babies Before Age 20, And I'm Proud Of Alabama For Banning Abortion
This brings me to my last point. With abortions being made illegal, this will only increase the number of women seeking alternative options. Some may leave the state to seek an abortion, some may risk their own life by seeking an illegal abortion, and some may even try to terminate the pregnancy themselves. If a woman truly wants an abortion, she will find a way to do it.
It's as simple as this: making abortions accessible and legal does not mean every woman will get an abortion, it means the women that want or need them will be able to choose whether they feel they are fit to bring a child into this world. Not your body, and especially if you're a male, not your choice.
