Abby Lee is a sophomore at MU studying journalism and women’s and gender studies. She is an opinion columnist who writes about social issues.
Be angry. Be angry that Texas’ Senate Bill 8 outlaws abortions at an early stage and permits and rewards the sueing of civilians who “aid or abet” those who seek, have sought or intended to seek abortions. Be angry, but remember that this didn’t just appear in Texas legislature. It was made possible by a system that perpetuates policies that limit freedoms citizens should be entitled to. Texas SB8 is not a massive surprise or a novel attack on the rights of people with uteruses.
That being said, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s Texas “Heartbeat Act” certainly puts a new spin on violating the right to bodily autonomy in that he’s posted a vigilante casting call to get the job done. The already-infamous Senate Bill 8 also serves to outlaw abortions in Texas once a semblance of a heartbeat is present, which conveniently happens around the time, if not after, many first discover they are pregnant.
Occasionally (but not always) seen as a saving grace for those affected by unconstitutional laws, the Supreme Court neglected to block Texas’ SB8 by a majority vote of 5 out of 9 justices. On Sept. 9, 2021, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas’ new law. On Oct. 6, 2021, a federal judge responded to the emergency request by temporarily blocking SB8.
Texas’ SB8 isn’t the first law that aims to limit legal access to abortions. Even before Abbott signed this bill in May, many states had various obstacles in place to make abortions difficult to obtain, which is just another assault on the right to bodily autonomy. We see this in the dwindling number of abortion clinics in many states (for example, there is only one active clinic in Missouri.) This is just another building block in the patriarchal machine that seeks to steal power from anyone who isn’t a cisgender white man. Laws like this one disproportionately affect people of color, particularly due to difficulty obtaining contraceptives in the first place.
Be outraged at the contents of this bill, at the people who passed it (Gov. Greg Abbott) and those who sit there complicit (5 out of 9 Supreme Court justices), or worse yet, those who support it with gusto. This law, while it isn’t a surprise attack on citizens and their bodies, continues to push the boundaries Roe v. Wade set up almost half a century ago. Some say that allowing SB8 to exist puts Roe v. Wade in imminent danger. While this is an incredibly frightening concept, those who are a part of the abortion-rights movement can’t let shock overwhelm their systems and claim that the U.S. is just now, at this moment, edging towards oppression. Rather, this is just another step down to the dystopia that the U.S. has always been working toward, powered by patriarchal forms of oppression.
The government’s attempts to control people’s bodies are not new, and they do not follow a steadfast rule. Sometimes, these acts look like Texas’ SB8 in that they take direct action. Other times, more indirect routes are taken. Indirect routes often end up being covert acts of racism. Even before Abbott signed SB8 into law, people of color disproportionately struggled to access contraceptives. The Commonwealth Fund explains in their article on SB8: “Afflicted for centuries by poverty and discrimination, lacking access to reproductive health services, Black women in Texas have been more likely to experience unintended pregnancies. The result is that abortion is accessed more commonly among Black women.” Virtually eliminating abortion access to those who already receive substandard health care is just another blow to an already-massive issue.
Citizens can’t look at this law as if it’s in a vacuum, as if it’s an isolated event. Alluding to Margaret Atwood’s Gilead and calling it a day won’t cut it anymore. The abortion-rights movement has to stop distancing themselves from this reality and look at the U.S.’s gory history head-on in order to finally do better.
Inform your friends and family. Go to protests. Contact local and state representatives. Donate to Planned Parenthood. The only way to avoid being shocked when human rights violations happen is to stay updated on these issues, even (and especially) when they’re not on the front page. There isn’t time to waste; this deserves immediate attention and solutions.
The Maneater encourages readers to take a stand against Texas’ attack on everyone’s right to bodily autonomy by donating to Planned Parenthood. Help clinics stay open and accessible to anyone seeking medical assistance, including but not limited to abortions. https://www.weareplannedparenthood.org/onlineactions/2U7UN1iNhESWUfDs4gDPNg2?sourceid=1000063
Edited by Sarah Rubinstein | srubinstein@themaneater.com