The Texas sonogram law, four words with a huge impact. Although the law is up for appeal right now, should it go through, it could change and effect hundreds of lives. For those of you who don’t yet know about this new law, it states that every woman going in for an abortion must submit to a sonogram before she goes through with it. According to Ricky Perry, "This important bill will ensure that every Texas woman seeking an abortion has all the facts about the life she is carrying and understands the devastating impact of such a life-changing decision."
What Rick Perry doesn’t talk about is the emotional impact it will have on the woman. For a lot of woman getting an abortion is already a very hard decision and forcing them to hear the heartbeat and see the fetus can be very traumatic. What the lawmakers don’t take into consideration are some of the reasons women get abortions; like rape, incest, teenage pregnancy, disease, and financial hardships. According to the Center for Disease Control in 2007 around 10,500 abortions were performed on teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19, 57% of the abortions were for women who had never had an abortion before, and 80% of the abortions were for unmarried women.
I’m not one to condone abortion as a form of birth control, because I think if you can bring a baby into this world you should. Yet if you can’t take care of the baby, you were raped, have AIDS, or have a child who tested positive for a life altering disease you should be able to make that VERY personal and hard decision on your own without the government forcing their way into that decision.
Everyone will tell you there are other options, one major one being adoption. Here’s what you have to consider: In Austin, Texas as of May 2011 there were 1,822 children in foster care (source:TxDFPS), in 2010 statewide there was a total of 29,072 children in foster care with nearly 4,000 of them between the ages of 0 and 2 years old (source:TxDFPS), and in September of 2010 the United States had a total of 408, 425 children in foster care (source:DH&HS, ACF division). So yes, let’s bring more children into this world who can grow up without families, without love, without dependability. That’s a wonderful idea. There are enough children out there that need families that at this point adoption is not necessarily the most viable option.
This sonogram law that they are trying to put into effect is, in my opinion, the governments way of interfering in a woman’s decision to get an abortion. We all know that Texas is mainly a pro-life state and they will do whatever it takes to convince/threaten/scare this women into not getting an abortion. It’s wrong and it’s harmful. Like I said before getting an abortion for most women is already one of the most hardest and traumatic decisions they will ever make, is it really necessary to make it worse?
In Victoria’s latest blog article, “Texas Sonogram Law: The Road to Unnecessary Heartache”, http://itscomplicatedtxgovt.blogspot.com/ .
ReplyDeleteShe comments on the abortion –ultrasound law, I would have to say that I agree with her in some points mention in her blog. I believe in choices of freedom, but I’m not for unnecessary abortion. I agree with Victoria when she point s according to Rick Perry the law enforced that every Texas woman going in to abortion must have a sonogram with a doctor, 24 hours prior to the procedure. He explain this law is important to ensure that every Texas woman be aware about all the facts involved about the life she is carrying. I believe we all know that the Texas Senator is mainly Republicans, Christians, and Pro-life. I do believe the Rick Perry is trying to interfere in women’s decision to abort the pregnancy. I believe the author of this blog does a great job providing a concise backdrop on this subject. She brings a important points: talking about the emotional impact it will have on the woman, lawmakers “legislators and senators” doesn’t consider woman’s reasons to decided to abort, and mostly importantly who’s going to support most unmarried, teenager women’s. Of course, I believe that Rick Perry and 2/3 of Senator pass this bill not thinking about the brutal process a abortion can take its on a woman’s body, and mind, and women’s health. I would have to say that the government of Texas is trying to interfere in women’s choice by guilt place on these women in end a pregnancy. Now, I’m question the government Rick Perry and the legislative branch: Why? Only talk about abstinence in school. Why? Not teach and shown them the impact of early pregnancy has in woman’s body and life. Why? Not teach guys and girls different methods of prevent spread diseases and pregnancy. Why? Not show them an important sonogram of the fetus in early stages inside a woman. As a nurse I understand the concern for women’s health when it comes to abortions. I think its wrong to attempt to guilt these women in making a decision of end a pregnancy when we never thought about the consequences and risk involved
http://limestonetx.blogspot.com/2011/11/stage-blog6-texas-sonogram-law.html
ReplyDeleteSince the introduction of House Bill 15, or what we commonly refer to as the "Sonogram Bill", I have been absolutely appalled at the Texas Legislature. If unfamiliar with the details of the bill, which passed both chambers, a woman would be required to receive a sonogram and a detailed explanation of the fetus by a physician before they are able to have an abortion. The government would be interfering in a situation that is already extremely painful. I thought the Republican-dominated Texas Legislature was all about smaller government and less interference...This sounds like quite the opposite to me.
ReplyDeleteI had wanted to write about this topic for an earlier posts, but decided on something else instead. I was happy to see that a recent post on the blog It's Complicated: Texas Politics and Government tackled that very subject. The author, Tori T., feels much the same way as I do about the bill. It's ridiculous that the "Texas Lege" and Governor Perry feel that there's a need to inform women of the "devastating impact of such a life-changing decision." We women don't need your help! The devastating decision was already gut-wrenching enough anyway. The last thing a 15-year-old girl, who may have been raped, needs to hear is about the description of the fetus that was created through a violent act that is inside her. That's cruel and unusual punishment. And, like Tori states, sometimes adoption just isn't an option. She gives some shocking numbers concerning how many kids are lost in the system of foster care with nearly 30,000 in Texas alone. I don't understand why or how we could allow this to happen.
There is one matter that I disagree ever-so-slightly with. She writes:
I’m not one to condone abortion as a form of birth control, because I think if you can bring a baby into this world you should. Yet if you can’t take care of the baby, you were raped, have AIDS, or have a child who tested positive for a life altering disease you should be able to make that VERY personal and hard decision on your own without the government forcing their way into that decision.
I absolutely detest when I hear of women using abortion as birth control. I don't think that was the purpose of legalizing abortion in the first place. But, despite my dislike, I am happy there is a choice available. I do agree that there should never be a question if there was a rape/incest or other horrible circumstances involved. No child should every be born out of violence or be forced to knowingly suffer from illness. I am happy there is a choice available again. From the above statement, my understanding is that these are the circumstances where government shouldn't interfere. I don't think that government should really ever interfere with abortion. No matter what.
Thankfully, the US Supreme Court has refused to allow Texas to enforce this law after it passed this summer. What a relief! If I am ever in a situation where I have to consider an abortion, I am so thankful and relieved to know that under any circumstance, what I do with my body is MY choice, not the Texas government or anyone else. I think that any woman in that situation would be thankful. So, yes, Tori T.! You are so right to think that the government should stay the heck out of the decisions we make with our bodies, especially when the decisions can be so traumatic.