Texas Has Essentially Outlawed Abortion With 6-Week Ban

September 01, 2021

Abortion rights demonstrators hold pro-choice sign reading "the burden is already undue"

What pro-choice and reproductive rights advocates have been worried about for years has finally come to pass, with Texas becoming the first state in the nation to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy—the most extreme abortion restriction in the country. This six-week marker is considered essentially a ban on abortion because six weeks is before most women even realize they have missed a period and are even able to think about taking a pregnancy test.

The U.S. Supreme Court, which now has a 6-3 conservative lean, and a federal appeals court failed to rule on emergency requests brought by abortion providers, says CNN. By doing nothing, the courts have allowed this law to be in action as I am typing right now.

Texas is the second-largest U.S. state by both area and population, which means millions of cis women and queer people are now living in a place where their reproductive rights have been slashed significantly.

It is a horrifying reality to wake up to, and left Twitter has been working to keep us informed and is also rightfully livid as hell about this development.

At this moment, it is imperative to remember all of the millions of people in Texas who will be impacted by this choice. Leaving Texas will not be an option for poor people, who already had limited access to abortion in the first place. What is important is to channel that rage into something productive if you have the means to do so. Give money if you can, spread information, and be a proactive participant in protecting reproductive rights.

Even while I’m writing this, I’m filled with anger. Not just at Donald Trump and his supporters for the current makeup of the court, but at the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg for not retiring from the Supreme Court with Obama in office, and the Democrats for not fighting harder for Obama’s last Supreme Court pick—and allowing the Republicans to continue the reign of terror by not pushing back hard enough during the Trump Presidency. There are a lot of people to be angry about, but while that is happening, I’m sad for those who are impacted by this right now.

(image: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

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