Six Weeks Notice

changing abortion laws create a climate of fear and suspicion

by Andrea neu

When Jane was a 16-year-old high school student, she discovered she was pregnant seven weeks after conception. At her cousin’s insistence, she went to her local Planned Parenthood in Hackensack, New Jersey. They discussed her options, which included family services counseling, adoption, and abortion. They reviewed the possible outcomes in each scenario, and she considered each option. Without parental support, she knew she could not safely engage in a fullterm pregnancy. Although it was “painful, mentally and physically,” Jane says, “I was relieved to have had the sources and opportunity to choose for myself as well as the emotional support.” Ultimately, she decided to schedule an abortion.

While a traumatic experience in its own right, Jane’s abortion story is shared by many other women who find themselves in a position where they cannot support or raise a child. But if she lived in present-day Texas, things would’ve been considerably more complicated. Last May, Texas lawmakers passed Senate Bill 8, “The Heartbeat Bill,” banning any abortion in which there is a detection of cardiac activity, specifically at the sixweek mark—incidentally, when most women discover their pregnancies according to AmericanPregnancy. org. No exceptions will be made for incidents of incest or rape.

The Guttmacher Institute calculates that nearly 18% of early pregnancies end in abortion. There is a wide contrast in laws and beliefs surrounding the issue depending on the state in which a woman resides, and 58% of women of reproductive age currently live in states considered “hostile” towards abortion rights.

According to HealthLine, fetal heartbeats usually begin within five to six weeks of conception. This

time frame overlaps with most 28-day menstruation cycles. Women can also experience irregular periods due to, but not limited to, diabetes, eating disorders, hyperprolactinemia, medication, and stress, according to Penn State.

The New York Times cites Senate Bill 8 as one of the most time restrictive abortion laws in the country. It not only villainizes the women involved, but also institutes the precedent of deputizing citizens as abortion vigilantes for financial gain. This is because Senate Bill 8 allows private citizens of Texas to sue not only those undergoing an abortion procedure, but also those that “aid and abet” these individuals. NPR reveals this extends to intended and unintended third-parties like Uber drivers, as well as anyone who plans to aid with future abortions. pregnancy is confirmed, Kleinfeld states, “the clock is really ticking.” Women in this postion have less than a week to schedule a clinic checkup and an abortion appointment, adding to the already stressful experience. Jane herself recalls feeling “embarrassed and overwhelmed” by her situation.”

Texas Senate Bill 8 has created an atmosphere of guilt, suspicion, and fear by “establishing a completely unsafe and scary environment for women,” according to Sierra Escobedo, a 21-year old resident from Austin, Texas. She and her friends were “disgusted” upon learning of the impending law, citing it as “a complete violation of human rights.” Sierra vocalized her female peers’ opinions, reaffirming Kleinfeld’s financial and safety concerns. “Not every woman is able to go to another state and get a safe abortion because [of] finances, jobs, [and] childcare.”

According to Planned Parenthood, third party individuals can include, but are not limited to clinic workers, doctors, nurses, counselors, parents, significant others, friends, and drivers.

“I interacted with four people at the time,” Jane remembers. “My closest friends at the time and my older cousin.” All of them could’ve been sued under Senate Bill 8, and any state citizen would have earned $10,000 for bringing in the case. Various appeals and lawsuits have already been filed in Texas, according to Associated Press.

Fox News believes the law itself upholds Roe v Wade because it is enforceable by “judge and jury” citizens, not the state. During an interview with the network, Richard Rosen, a law professor at Texas Tech, stated, “I believe the authors of the laws used citizen enforcement as means of precluding preemptive attacks on the law.” As such, the legal framework of Senate Bill 8 is difficult to undermine. Due to the staggering limitations placed on Texas women in need of abortions, Bloomberg estimates many are traveling up to 250 miles from Texas to receive treatment. During her interview with NPR, Kathy Kleinfeld, an administrator with Houston Women’s Rights Reproductive Services, explained that this issue creates two significant problems: traveling for abortions introduces a financial burden, and there is greater opportunity for risk at unsafe or undocumented abortion sites. Once that six weeks notice is up and a

They’re trying This bill has led to further discourse between the Pro-Life and Pro-Choice to find a way to ban abortions communities across the country and expanded without actually banning the social and political conversation surrounding abortions abortion and women’s reproductive rights. “They’re trying to find a way to ban abortions without actually banning abortions,” Sierra says. “It’s a war on Women’s Rights.” Most standard college semesters range from 15 to 17 weeks, with weeks six to eight usually serving as midsemester check points; sometimes, the span of six weeks can fly by in an instant. Minimizing a woman’s support system and shrinking her timeframe to six weeks establishes an environment of worry, shame, and suspicion. Instead of providing contraceptives and proper sex education, the Texas government is potentially invoking unsafe, even dangerous conditions for young women and their supporters. It would be difficult for anyone in any position to have a contingency plan in place within six weeks, let alone a woman in the process of making such a life-altering decision. The law sets a terrifying precedent. *Some names have been changed to respect anonymity of interviewees.