New Proposed Heartbeat Ban Bill Makes It Harder for Equality

As the weight of the world keeps dragging everybody down, there is yet again another huge controversial bill put into act, creating a bigger divide in our society.  In mid-May of 2021, Texas lawmakers announced their “heartbeat ban” bill, which is expected to become law in September.  This law states that a women may not abort the child after six weeks, when a heartbeat can be detected. 

The problem with only two months to decide, is that the mother might not even know by two months herself. A woman has a little less than two months to first know that she has a potential child growing in her, decide whether to alter her life and her finances to afford a child, give the child up to a foster care system where the child would most likely end up neglected, abused and living in poverty, or the woman chooses to end the life before it has even begun.  All that in two months.

I also want you to consider what happens in those two months and why it is not so easy to know if a woman is pregnant or not.  Symptoms of pregnancy are the same as PMS; breast tenderness, spotting, cramps, mood swings, appetite changes, and for some, even nausea.  It’s hard to decipher whether or not a person is pregnant based on these symptoms.

In fact, some women still bleed and have a normal period for the first trimester when pregnant.  The simplest solution, would yes, take a pregnancy test.  However, when it’s normal for periods to skip a month, but you’re showing all the PMS symptoms, women won’t think twice.

To make matters worse, there are no exceptions to this bill for rape.  Imagine, you are a woman who had suffered being taken advantage of, and because of a man’s decision to do as he pleases, with no account to a women’s life or future, she ends up not only physically and mentally abused, but now has a potential child with her abuser.  In addition to this law having no mercy for the abused, it gives the right to sue. 

If the “heartbeat ban” were to be broken, the law lets citizens sue the doctors, the woman, and anyone else involved in the abortion after a fetal heartbeat has been detected.  So now, as a woman, you not only have been abused and most likely getting an abortion in a more dangerous way, but now could become bankrupt from a lawsuit.  With this bill having the potential to become a law, I cannot help but wonder, when the penalty for abortion after rape is more severe than the penalty for rape itself, is it a war on woman?

Think about it. As history has shown, the women are never seen as equal in court cases.  Often, when a rape allegation is confronted, people will go out of their way to protect the man because of his “future,” whereas they do not even consider the woman’s future being impacted as well.

Having a law that gives people the right to sue if the “heartbeat ban” has been broken, just goes to show how the system is against women.   

A woman only has so much say over their own body.  They cannot walk down a sidewalk without being cat called.  They live in fear walking down the block to their car in the dark because predators are everywhere. 

Women are criticized for what they wear, because “they’re asking for it.”  It has been said once, but clearly once is not enough.  No means no.  Who in their right mind is asking to be raped?  It literally goes against the definition of rape.  If there is no consent, then no one is asking for it. 

For argument’s sake, let’s talk on the pro-life side.  Yes, there is a heartbeat in a woman’s uterus.  And yes, it is a miracle that could become life outside the womb.  The right to life is dependent on the woman who would be giving birth.  Is it fair then, to terminate a life before it has even begun?  Why would it be the woman’s choice to end a life?

To a point, I understand where pro-lifers come from.  There is potential on why every child deserves to be born.  However, are they thinking about the quality of life a child would have after it’s born?  The mother could neglect the child due to how it came to be, the child could get adopted by horrible “parents,” the child could end up in foster care, and the list continues. 

The mental illness the child could suffer being born after a rape is endless.  I can’t even fathom the thought of my mom not wanting, or even hating me because I looked like my father.  If the child had a mind, or a say in the matter pre birth, would it even opt in on living?

Women have been fighting for equality for years.  The right to vote, the right to work, the right to an education.  Granted, the right to our own bodies has also been a part of the battle, but now having to protect it even more to be able to decide what’s right for our lives, it is getting more out of hand.  When it comes to men, there is no question. 

They have had the floor since the beginning.  Women are just seen as objects to rule over.  There have been multiple court cases where a women goes to court for a rape allegation, and the response is always, “what about the man’s future?” 

Not to mention, in a male dominated world, it’s  a he said/she said situation, and because women are seen as objects, what he said wins, you know, to protect his future.  This war must stop.  None of us would be here without a woman, and to think that we are less respected is beyond me.

We are just as equal as men and we deserve the right to have a say in our own bodies without there being consequences.  Men are just as equally to blame as the women, as it takes two to tango.  So if the women are facing consequences, then men should too.