How Texas’ abortion laws are risking the health of its women

One of the most pivotal reproductive rights cases in the history of the United States, Whole Woman’s Health vs. Hellerstedt, is currently under way within the Supreme Court. The court proceeding examines the lawfulness of Texas House Bill 2 (HB2), an act passed by Texas legislators that has placed severe burdens on women seeking abortions.

As we anxiously await the results of a ruling that will no doubt shape the future of reproductive health rights for better or worse, it’s prudent to examine HB2 and the motives of the Texan policymakers behind the act.

HB2 was passed in 2013 and required abortion clinics to have the same building standards as outpatient surgical centers, and also for doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. These new regulations caused over half of Texan abortion clinics to shut down. You may be thinking, “these seem like such simple regulations.” I can see why you’d think that, but you’d be wrong.

Meeting the building standards of surgical centers is an absurd rule because such centers require hallways to be at least eight feet wide so that two gurneys can pass by each other. Most clinics don’t meet this standard, and I’d argue an abortion clinic definitely doesn’t need to, considering abortion is done via pill or suction.

The other restriction is just as burdensome, if not more so. For a doctor to have admitting privileges essentially means that he or she is able to let the patient stay at the hospital without needing consent of other doctors or staff. The problem is most hospitals don’t want to get involved in abortion politics, so they deny abortion doctors such permission.

Heads up, future doctors: even if you happen to work at a hospital that has hallways of adequate width, you’re still likely to face undue burdens if you are qualified to provide abortions, and there is absolutely no reason for it. Abortions very rarely have negative complications, and even if you live several hours away from your original clinic, you can simply be treated by any local medical staff in the event of post-procedural issues.

These regulations are obviously excessive, so why do they exist, Texas? According to lawmakers in all states with overly strict abortion laws, they are for the sake of “protecting women’s health.” Seriously?

Self-induced abortions are increasing in Texas as a result of strict abortion laws, and it’s not difficult to see why. With the passing of HB2, the only abortion clinics that were able to remain open were major hospitals in metropolitan areas.

In most other states, the nearest major city will usually be less than two hours away, but Texas is massive. Getting to the nearest city might require a five-hour drive in some cases, and this dilemma is coupled with the fact that Texas requires a waiting period of up to 72 hours before a girl can get an abortion. Most people don’t have the flexibility to take off to a faraway city for several days, especially a majority of women seeking abortions which are typically young or financially unstable.

It’s absurd that this is a discussion in Texas, where the state puts absolutely no effort into its children. We have the highest number of repeat teen pregnancies, 1 in 4 children living in poverty and underfunded public schools, especially in minority areas.

Our Child Protective Services agency needs to be completely overhauled as it faces an influx of children that it is failing to protect. Thousands of children across the state are locked in systemic problems that are robbing them of their chances at success, and it makes my blood boil as bigoted representatives continuously pass legislation to cut social programs, compromise access to reproductive health facilities and introduce backwards educational policies.

Look, no one likes abortions. No one willingly wants to walk into an abortion clinic. It’s not a fun topic, I get it. But, regardless of the situation, a girl is not obligated to carry a pregnancy to term. A girl can do whatever she wants with her body, regardless of what your precious moral sensibilities tell you. HB2 has left most women without a safe, healthy choice, and self-induced abortions are now on a rapid rise. Does that sound like protecting women’s health?

I guess it’s not surprising. In a state where bodily autonomy holds no value and education takes a backseat to low taxes, women’s health is obviously not on the list of things that are important. I do, however, think that it’s time for our representatives to start telling it like it is.

The next time our governor, Greg Abbott, talks about abortion in Texas, he should be truthful. He should admit he doesn’t like abortions because they conflict with his religious values. He should openly say that he can’t empathize with people living in abject poverty because he’s never missed a dollar in his life. He should tell everyone that the idea of a woman becoming pregnant as a result of rape does not affect his twisted ethics, and that statistics, facts and common sense simply don’t appeal to him.

More than anything, I think it’s time for our representatives to stop calling themselves “pro-life,” because the title is a paradox. “Pro-life” entails value for decent living conditions, with opportunity, health and financial stability. Our representatives embody the opposite of these values when they promote cutting funding for higher education, limit access to reproductive health and uphold systems that create poor living standards.

You can’t claim to value life and then uphold policies that adversely effect women and minorities. You can’t claim to value life when you impose your personal ethics on others even when they create negative impacts. You especially can’t claim to value life when you stop caring about children the moment they’re out the womb.

Texas policymakers aren’t pro-life. They’re just pro-birth.