Texas Wants Women to Listen to Fetal Hearbeat Before Abortion
Why Texas? Why?
Do you really think women who are headed in to have an abortion are all happy-go-lucky sorts who have no idea what they’re getting into?
Because leading members of Texas’ GOP are sponsoring a bill that would require women to sit through an ultrasound before an abortion, described in detail by the doctor, and (wait for it) require they listen to the fetal heartbeat. Oh, and if that’s not enough, they must sit idly while a doctor lectures them with some good old-fashioned anti-abortion literature.
According to the bill, the “pregnant woman
may choose not to view the materials or avert her eyes.” How sweet. If that’s an option, how about just skipping the whole charade and letting women get on with it?
Its supporters have made clear they are looking to reduce abortion numbers, but they’re also being careful throw a little “we’re helping to cut down on medical malpractice” spin in there.
“I think that this bill will protect women from being at the hands of a
doctor who is not performing best practices,” study author Republican Sen. Dan Patrick said. But he’s certainly sticking with the party line – he goes on to say, “secondly, it may
change the thinking of that woman if she decides to look at that
ultrasound, to hear that heart beat.”
This move is right up there with North Dakota’s recent declaration that “personhood” is achieved at conception. Neither directly reverses Roe v. Wade, but they skirt the rights of a woman being trumped by that of an unborn fetus. As my colleague Kate recently pointed out, the right-to-life movement often neglects the idea that there is life AFTER birth.
The legislators who crafted this bill have no knowledge of a woman’s mental or physical health when she walks into an abortion clinic. They have no idea whether she’s been raped, had a condom break, gotten pregnant the day before her husband took off. But they are cocksure that listening to the heartbeat is going to change her mind; no matter the pain it inflicts.
Did these guys read the much-talked about Glamour piece on women who’ve gone through an abortion?
“In a perfect world, no woman would ever need to end a
pregnancy,” Liz Welch said just last month. “But in reality, one in three women will have at least one
abortion by the time she is 45, and these women run the gamut of ages,
races, backgrounds and beliefs.”
So Texas, just to give you an update women might not feel guilty or even wrong for doing it, but it isn’t an easy choice. They don’t need to hear a heartbeat or be beaten over the head with literature and a detailed ultrasound description to know that.
Image: PatDollard.com
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Okay I just turned 17 and I have already had to think about having an abortion. and I’m pro-life. It’s not something I wanted to do. But it was the only option I had. And here in the bible belt of the south…well that didn’t much fly with my friends…nor me. I was 6 weeks pregnant and i wasn’t about to have an ultrasound b/c yeah that would have put me through alot of pain. I already knew i was killing a life and yeah. I didn’t want that. If anything i wanted anything other than that. To hear a heartbeat…and then have the abortion..that’s just sick. yeah I could have had the baby and given it up..BUT what about me here? I would have been put through all of that stuff just to have to give it up. I don’t think so. I agree with most of the girls who said that they disagreed with what Texas was trying to do. It’s not fair to a woman who has already made the choice to have to do that..they shouldn’t be made to listen through all that. If I had to I’m sure i would be put in jail for beating up the doctor.
I know i’m young and it was a stupid mistake. I don’t want any crap for it.
What about the baby’s daddy? Why is this law only applicable to the woman who is opting for abortion? If a woman chooses to give her child up for adoption, the birth father must be contacted as well to forfeit his parental rights. No fair that only the woman needs to listen to the heartbeat and see the sonogram.
If murder is wrong when it’s an abortion, then murder is always wrong. The taking of a life should always be the taking of a life, regardless of the innocence or guilt of the murdered party, otherwise you are inconsistently applying your moral standard. This means that abortion, war, the death penalty… all wrong, and all murder. If you can justify one type of murder (during war) then exceptions can be made for all murder (abortion). Those who agree with the death penalty or the killing of enemy combatants but not abortion are making a decision on where to draw the line, and it’s no fair saying that someone who draws the line elsewhere is a murderer or immoral – they are just applying their moral standard at a different place.
Honestly, I’m a big pro-lifer, not because of my religious beliefs, but because I can’t imagine killing a baby in cold blood, even if they are feeding off your body at the moment. It may not be a popular idea, but I think this is a kind of good idea, not the literature, but the ultrasound. Maybe the woman will change her mind if she see’s the little life inside of her. I don’t think that the woman should have to keep the baby, putting them up for adoption is always an option. The most common argument is that having a baby will limit the opportunites women have because they will have to raise a child, but adoption is an option that kind of negates that argument, and if your thinking of the nine months of pregnancy, it’s only 9 months.
My guess is that “About 1 in 3 American women have had an abortion by age 45″ means “About 1 in 3 American women have had at least one abortion, and possibly more than one, by age 45″. But I am no statistician, so that guess comes from reading narrative and not numbers/charts.
Thanks for the links, but I am still a little confused by the 1 in 3 statistic. From the website you referenced it states that half the women seeking an abortion have had at least one prior abortion. So my question about the numbers is have they been adjusted to account for these individuals who have had multiple abortions?
Yes, the way figures stand now, more than 1/3 of American women will have at least one abortion by the time they reach age 45. This figure (35%) comes from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which is globally considered to be an excellent source of medically-accurate and statistically accurate abortion information.
Overview of Abortion in the United States –
http://www.guttmacher.org/media/presskits/2005/06/28/abortionoverview.html
Note: 9 in 10 elective abortions occur in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, 61% of women having abortions already have one or more children, and 56% are in their 20s.
More extensive info on U.S. abortion stats – http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_induced_abortion.html
And a link to all the great Fact Sheets from the Guttmacher Institute – http://www.guttmacher.org/sections/abortion.php
SamE: ha! Yeah, I’d love to see that.
As for the 1 in 3 statistic: are you folks questioning whether the numbers are really that high, or whether they’re really that low? Because yes, they really are that high. Ask all of your female friends and family sometime. People don’t tend to bring it up, but it’s a very, very common experience. It’s been estimated that about half of all pregnancies are unplanned, and a lot of those don’t make it to term.
“Shouldn’t a woman who chooses to continue a pregnancy be required to listen to labor & delivery horror stories and study the potential complications that can occur if she decides to stay pregnant?”
I don’t know about all the other women who are or have been pregnant, but from the time I was visibly pregnant I regularly got unsolicited accounts from women with horrible experiences everywhere I went, from work to the grocery store to the mall.
I wonder about the 1 in 3 statistic. I personally find that very hard to believe. Is that statistic adjusted for individual women who have repeat abortions, or is it the total number of abortions divided among all women age 15-45?
If Texas is going to require a woman to hear the heartbeat, have an ultrasound, and listen to an “anti-abortion lecture,” shouldn’t a woman who chooses to continue a pregnancy be required to listen to labor & delivery horror stories and study the potential complications that can occur if she decides to stay pregnant? That way she would be “fully informed” before she decides. I’m sorry, I just get really upset when the government decides that women are inherently inferior and therefore need to be saved from themselves.
Christina, I don’t understand your argument… are you questioning hunter’s safety courses or pro-choice? You lost me somewhere.
Sheri: Please tell your friend thank you for me. I deeply appreciate his sacrifice.
I guess it’s idiotic as well to tell hunters to make sure of their target before shooting. After all, it’s the hunter’s CHOICE that matters, not whether they’re shooting a deer or a man.
I thank God everyday for my birth mother’s choice. That being said the law says women have the right to kill their babies….
Re: soldiers. Really, would any of you say that to someone who is serving this country. War is hell. Any soldier will tell you that. Would you go up to a WWII vet and call them a murderer?? Yet millions of innocents died in WWII. That’s what happens in war. People die. And yes, that sucks. I have a close friend who is a Marine and was shot in Iraq. He has only one eye, is legally blind, partially deaf and constantly dizzy. He believed what he was doing was right, and you know, he’d do it all over again.
So, say what you want about abortion. But the reason you all can disagree and fight over this matter is because of people like my friend who if he were able would fight for your right to free speech.
Johnna- Yes, civilians sometimes get killed. And we recognize it is WRONG! It’s called a war CRIME.
It simply isn’t the same. These a completely defenseless babies that never did anything to deserve their deaths except exist. That is not the same as shooting a guy because he is about to blow up a tank. It’s just not.
allison said:
Actually there aren’t “enough” babies up for adoption.
I think what you mean are there aren’t enough perfectly healthy white newborns up for adoption. There are more than enough children in the foster care system to give every family that wants one a child. Potential adoptive parents that are willing to take on these kids are the ones in short supply. I think pronouncing adoption the be- all cure for abortion is unrealistic, and to make a woman feel selfish for not going through with an unwanted pregnancy when she can “always put the baby up for adoption” is condescending and outrageous.
I wonder if this policy would also include women who decide to abort due to severe birth defects?
Also, one in three women have an abortion by age 45? I find that very difficult to believe.
Right, Laura, all those innocent kids and bystanders that are killed in combat are definitely “adult enemies” and I’m sure they’ve all chosen to “kill and destroy.” They’re not “innocent and defenseless” at all.
And regarding the adoption, you’re right – there aren’t enough BABIES up for adoption and the wait is long. Perhaps if people opened their hearts a little more to the thousands and thousands of older kids in foster care right now they could become parents without the agonizing wait for a baby, and without the heartbreaking possibility of the birth parents taking the child back.
“Do we force American soldiers to ponder about the life they take when they are in combat? What about those congress people who vote to send troops to war? People have their psychological defenses for a reason.”
Never ever compare combat to abortion. Soldiers fight against adult enemies who have chosen to kill and destroy. Babies are completely innocent and defenseless.
Sarah: Who was cruel on this comment page? I just went back and reread them. Only one other person and myself agreed with the Texas law. It appears you are more pro-choice. What did we say that was biting? When did we put ourselves on high horses? Your accusations don’t seem to line up with any comments made today.
They say children can be cruel, but heavy handed moral experts like the ones on this comment list are some of the cruelest I have ever seen.
We could sit here and talk about the over-burdened foster care system were plenty of children are ignored and not adopted as desperate parents wait for only babies. We could sit here and discuss the steady decline of women’s rights in this country.
Or we can sit here and victimize someone making a difficult but legal choice, using weighted statements and biting remarks. Enjoy sitting on your high horses, I think I’m officially done with StrollerDerby now.
Meckner: Please note, I will be the first to admit I am far from perfect. But thanks for thinking it!
I agree with Bunny. I like to read Babble for the tips and interesting tidbits from the news in different areas. I am sure there are other interesting stories that would pertain to people who birth their children.
Allys: I want you to know that I am very sorry that you are faced with a tough decision. I do not agree that your child’s only option is a terrible life. There are many families that would love to be blessed by the life growing inside of you. I am sure adoption would be a hard thing to go through for the birth mother. The upside of adoption is life. I don’t think that you are a bad person for the choices you make and I do not hold any judgement of you. I concede that your decision will not only be difficult but also one you will have thought through. I wish you all the best in your life.
Do we really need to see these articles here on Babble? All it means is that the thread devolves into a pro-choice / anti-choice argument and I’m forced to read the comments of creepy woman-haters day after day who think that women who abort are bloodthirsty imbeciles. As entertaining as it can be to watch the downfall of civilization play itself out on the internet, I could stand a break.
I think abortion is a very tough decision, and it is not any congress person’s job to force women to address or cope with the decision in the way that they deem “morally appropriate.” If a woman needs to deal with her decision to abort her fetus by emotionally detaching herself from the situation, then so be it. Abortion is not a crime in this country, and this Texas law strikes me as trying very hard to treat it as such.
Do we force American soldiers to ponder about the life they take when they are in combat? What about those congress people who vote to send troops to war? People have their psychological defenses for a reason.
Actually there aren’t “enough” babies up for adoption. People wait for years to be able to adopt a baby and pay thousands of dollars to agencies in the hopes of becoming parents. Allys – I’m sorry for what you are going through; I hope everything works out for the best.
I’d just like to point out that “Texas” doesn’t want women to do anything. Some individual people in Texas do.
I happen to be a pro-life Texan, but I’m not crazy about legislating it, especially with the heavy handed approach described here. I’d like to read the whole text of the bill (sometime when I’m not at work).
meckner: Thanks for being so reasonable. I’ve heard it all and I’m not shaken. I’d rather abort this than put a baby through a horrible life. There are already enough children up for adoption and I don’t want to have to go through all that either.
They also didn’t notice that I DONT WANT TO DO IT but it’s in everyone’s best interest. My boyfriend and I havn’t been together for very long (3 months, folks), my birth control failed us even though I did everything right and we were retarded. Screw the haters. I know I’m doing the right thing.
Allys– I hope you are able to shrug off those nasty comments directed to you. The world is obviously a very simple place filled with very simple answers, and these very perfect women have all of them for you.
Thank you for posting this. Without wanting to stir up the obvious debate at hand, your message goes along with something I heard someone say a while ago that stuck for me: pro-choice is not pro-abortion– no one LIKES abortion. That seems obvious and simple, but I love it for that reason because I think many pro-lifers think that if pro-choicers or women planning to undergo an abortion just knew HOW horrible a procedure it is then they would think and act differently. But that part simply isn’t up for questioning since it’s VERY obvious for a the greater majority how horrible a thing it is to have to choose, go through, and deal with. And I think that’s also the reason why these are obviously scare tactics and nothing else– they can’t be seen as having educational value since the sheer weight of the decision is obviously already very well known and understood by the women involved.
Ugh, disgusting. I hate the thinking that, “oh, women who are deciding to have an abortion just don’t KNOW it’s a baby.” Has it occurred to these people that they do know, and it’s not an easy decision? I’d like to think, and this may be totally wrong, that most women are smarter than that. Yes, a baby has a heartbeat. DUH. It’s like those bumper stickers people have that say “Abortion stops a beating heart.” Yes, THAT’S THE POINT.
Plus, with my planned, conceived, on-purpose baby I’m pregnant with right now I won’t have a sonogram until 20 weeks because of the cost (billed to my insurance company). This is a HUGE waste of the state’s money. Sonograms and doctor’s services aren’t free. If I had lied and said I was thinking about abortion could I have seen my baby earlier??
I think it’s a great idea. I’m anti abortion and if women had to take that sweet amazing sound of a heartbeat into consideration, they might decide to make the best fo their situation.
Twyla I could not agree more!
Heartless? The state is heartless by trying to inform women of the choice they are making? I find it far more heartless to rid yourself of another burden at the price of that burden’s life.
There is another “A” word out there… it is called adoption! Try it. There are great results for child and parent.
Or the big, bad “A” word is… abstinence. If the person you are currently sleeping with is not ready to have kids, move on or protect yourself.
Stop punishing children for adults mistakes.
Seriously? Honestly!? I just don’t get what the hell the government thinks it’s doing telling women what to do with the contents of their uterus. I’m facing a hard problem like that. I have to abort mine as much as I don’t want to, but it wouldn’t be fair to bring a baby into a world where my relationship isn’t stable, the father is far from ready, and I don’t have a job or home of my damn own. Last thing I need is a reminder of what the hell I’m giving up. Screw you Texas. You’re heartless.