ABORTION BILL:

The Tennessee House passed a bill that bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected. A doctor can detect a heartbeat as early as six weeks, but many women don’t get the symptoms until later on in the pregnancy, which means it would be too late to get an abortion by the time the woman is aware she is pregnant. A woman may not experience symptoms until sometimes around 8-10 weeks. According to House Bill 77, there are several restrictions regarding abortion. The person who intends to perform an abortion is not guilty of a criminal if there is a medical emergency such as a miscarriage, if the ultrasound does not reveal a heartbeat during the time of the procedure and have the woman’s consent, and after the detection of the fetal heartbeat but before the fetus is visible. The physician who determine if the fetus is there or not have to record the date, time, the age of the fetus, the method used to determine the heartbeat, and the results in the pregnant woman medical records. This bill is requiring a lot of rules and procedures which will make it very hard for a physician to approve a woman’s abortion after the fetus heartbeat is detected.

The bill basically states that if it’s not a medical emergency and the physician nor the woman can give a valid reason as to why she wants the abortion then she must keep it. Several people state it is considered murder to abort a baby whether a heartbeat is detected or not, other states that it is the woman life and choice. I agree with Aimee Lewis, a spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, this bill is just a waste of taxpayers dollars because it’s only going to lead to legal action. Not only does Planned Parenthood organization planned to sue, but the A.C.L.U of Tennessee plan to take action through a court battle. Why waste others time passing this unnecessary bill? Is the system not aware of the past bill The Supreme Court ruled?

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WOMEN'S RIGHTS:

The abortion bill has raised many concerns about women rights. In 1973 the supreme court ruled the constitutional right to privacy which includes women’s ability to have access to abortion services. (Roe V. Wade) Yes, of course, adoption is another option, but pregnancy pain can be unbearable to some. Some women do not have the funds nor a support system to help her throughout the pregnancy nor are the father of the child is guaranteed to stay around. According to 2017, the United States Census Bureau out of about 12 million single-parent families with children under the age of 18, more than 80% were headed by single mothers. Pregnancy symptoms are very uncomfortable you can become fatigue, swelling in the breast, headaches, mood swans, depression, etc. A woman who is not mentally stable or above the age of 18 is physically not mentally ready to experience that. A man will never experience the same pain as the woman. It is the woman body and should be her choice.

 

FACTORS:

Being raped is already hard to handle mentally yet along becoming pregnant by the suspect is extremely horrifying. Imagine a woman being forced to raise the child alone because she was not aware she was pregnant until she was 8 weeks. As stated early in the reading after 6 weeks the baby receives a heartbeat. She is nearly 2 weeks late from notifying the doctor because she had no symptoms. The woman now has to take on the responsibilities she was not prepared for, because of a bill that did not evaluate enough research in rape cases.

 

BIRTH CONTROL:

There are many forms of birth control, but it can cause a lot of issues. Every woman body doesn’t agree with it. There are 20 different types of birth control. Some women avoid birth control because of their beliefs and others avoid it because of insurance or body effects such as weight loss/growth, change in appetite, mood swings, etc. Men question why women don't get birth control to avoid having an abortion, but some don’t realize the woman situation.

 

In conclusion, this bill should be re-evaluated and shows a lack of sympathy for women. A woman decision should not be up for debate. There is no gender equality here.