by Ania Swift
People all around the world should have the right to access a safe abortion. Unfortunately, things are changing.
A recent law has changed the legality around abortion access in Texas. The law said that pregnant people can no longer receive abortions in Texas after six weeks of pregnancy. Previously, the cutoff had been 24 weeks.
Before we can talk about the major changes — they are currently taking place in Texas, but there are threats that the changes will soon be nationwide — we have to understand the history of abortion in The United States.
It’s especially important that young people understand this history because it can happen to anyone. People in high school mostly understand this, but should receive more information because the options and access shouldn’t be a problem.
So how did we get here?
Abortion has been legal since 1973 when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a 7-2 decision in the famous Roe v. Wade ruling. The basic gist of this case was the protection of a pregnant women’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.
Pregnant people have enjoyed varied access to abortion since then.
Unfortunately, the number of people receiving access to abortions is declining in more than half a dozen states around the country.
So what can we do? Many people have stood up for the woman’s rights with multiple pro-choice marches. There have been polls arguing to keep abortion open for pregnant people. You can also give money to organizations like Planned Parenthood.
