Activists rally at the state capitol calling for women’s sexual and reproductive rights during a legislative debate on HB2 and SB1 (Photo Credit: Sahare Wazirali).
By Sahare Wazirali, Amnesty International Activist
I have been spending a lot of time in the Texas state capitol these days. Why? Because the state legislature debated unnecessary and dangerous new legislation that threatens to restrict access to our sexual and reproductive rights.
Two Texas bills have achieved significant attention in the national news and if Texas Gov. Rick Perry signs the legislation into law, as he is expected to do, women across Texas will be denied the autonomy to make decisions about their bodies. As a human rights activist, I feel compelled to speak out against legislation that will have devastating consequences for the health of women and girls in Texas.
The bills recently passed by the Texas legislature, House Bill 2 (HB2) and Senate Bill 1 (SB1), violate women’s sexual and reproductive human rights by limiting access to legal abortion and equal access to health services.
Essentially, this legislation will close all but five abortion clinics in the state of Texas – that’s 37 out of 42 clinics that will be shuttered because they will have to meet unnecessary new standards equating them to ambulatory surgery centers. The five clinics that will survive will be concentrated in Texas’ major cities – Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Women in El Paso, for instance, will have to travel 1,000 miles to the nearest abortion facility. The legislation also disproportionately affects both women of lower socioeconomic status and the more than one million Texas women who live in rural areas.
The bills impose new restrictions on doctors performing abortions, which will further limit the availability of health care providers and after 20 weeks of pregnancy, women will not be able to have abortions, even in cases of rape, incest or sexual assault – an unbelievable attack on women’s rights.
The violations of women and girls’ sexual and reproductive rights don’t stop there. The new law reaches far beyond undermining women’s access to legal abortion. The bills also deny women a number of critical health services provided at these facilities – services such as pap smears, annual exams, STD/STI screenings, contraception, family planning and sexual education services.
Without equal access to health care, including access to legal abortion, women may put their lives at risk by trying to get “back alley” abortions, which account for about 75,000 maternal deaths worldwide every year. Additionally, women who don’t receive preventative care like cancer screenings, vaccines and family counseling are more likely to develop sometimes grave health complications.
In a place like the United States where abortion is already legal, why is Texas trying to take us back years by stripping women of their rights to their bodies and their health care?
The movement to protect women’s health care has created an uprising of people bound together with the same philosophy about our state. The first day of my fight – June 25, 2013 – I stood in the middle of the capitol’s rotunda for six hours, chanting and rallying in support of State Senator Wendy Davis as she stood without break for 11 straight hours to oppose the original Senate Bill 5. On that day, there were hundreds of protesters – some rape survivors, some daughters of mothers who died during childbirth, some couples who were barely paying their way through college – but all who are personally fighting this battle for women’s rights.
On Friday, July 12, 2013, the evening of the Senate vote on HB2, thousands of opponents were lined up in the Capitol and outside the Capitol doors. Thousands. Texans realized that we have the power to stand up for the human rights of women and girls. Despite the fact that the House and the Senate passed this legislation, Texas’ women and their supporters haven’t backed down: we will be heard.
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- Texan women call for reproductive justice in a protest at the state capitol(Photo Credit: Sahare Wazirali).
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- An activist’s sign details consequences of limiting access to healthcare and abortions(Photo Credit: Sahare Wazirali).
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- Sahare Wazirali with Cecile Richards (Photo Credit: Sahare Wazirali).
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- Reproductive rights advocates fill the Texas capitol rotunda celebrating the defeat of the controversial anti-abortion bill SB5 (Photo by Erich Schlegel/Getty Images).
How can you call yourself a Human Rights Organization when you disregard human rights for the most innocent, silent and defenseless? You were a 100% innocent, silent and defenseless unborn child once. Why not come to the defense of the human rights of the unborn child????
Hey first take care of the born children. There are thousands and thousands children are hungry and starving in this world and you are worry about unborn ones. get life man.
I have a life man. Cause My Mother didnt selfishly abort me man! Hunger is a worthy cause man — but has Nothing to do with 20 week old human beings being sliced and torn from a Mothers womb man!
Were are you when girls and women are raped, or victims of incest? Do you fight for THEM?
Listen up Brian. Abortion is not selfish if it is the only option for that individual woman or couple. In regards to hoss' comment, hunger has everything to do with it! Why the hell would you want more children in this world who cannot be raised properly, adequately and, most importantly, LOVINGLY by parent(s). If a mother (and potentially father depending on the circumstances) feels as if she is not ready, in regards to both her maturity and financial levels, to have a baby than I would much rather see that fetus (which is COMPLETELY unaware of itself) be killed rather than a live, self-aware child have to struggle through his/her life.
EVEN MORE IMPORTANTLY: I would NEVER feel as if I have the right to tell another woman or man what to do with her/his own body, and I damn well expect that every other American gives me that same respect in return. Pipe down your backwards and outdated beliefs and give people the choice to choose what they do with their own bodies and babies. NUFF SAID.
Dude, why does everyone think abortion equals ripping, slicing, vacuuming and painful injections? Do you realize that you can get abortions way earlier in the game before there's even a need for sucking or tearing? You take a pill that flushes the clump of cells right out of your body, and that's that. Seriously.
Also, there is nothing to "defend" from. It's prevention of birth. You can use the whole "oh but my mother had me and you were a baby too once!" argument all you like, but let's be honest–if you had never been born, nobody would have cared. If I had never been born, it would not have been anyone's loss. Does that sound cruel? Probably, but it's true. If neither of us had been born, we wouldn't even know what we were missing. There would be nothing to be sad or horrified about.
And there's nothing selfish about abortion. Is parasite removal selfish? They're living creatures too, you know.
The law talks about 20 plus week abortions. Research the procedure yourself. If you think there is no difference between a 21 week old fetus and parasite removal I suggest you get educated. Abortion is the easy selfish choice Deborah. For those in the most dire situation you describe or even for those that just dont want a baby or an inconvience there is adoption. Not everyone is blessed to concieve a child.
Ummm… how the hell is adoption the BEST solution to someone who (early in their pregnancy!!) doesn't want a baby? Sure be raised in a world where you'll be neglected and unwanted! Let's further reinstate how little we want you by passing you of to some randos who probably won't raise you that well anyway! Let's just continue to overpopulate our earth with unwanted babies!!!!! YAY!
And just in case you're as idiotic as you appear to be, all sarcasm.
I would suggest you try to stick to debating like an adult and the law being discussed. It's helpful to argue facts and less irrational emotion. 20 plus weeks is not early in pregnancy. Do you have any friends/family/acquaintances/co-workers/neighbors that have been adopted or have themselves adopted children? In your experience (if any whatsoever) are adopted children raised by "randos?" and not raised right? Or after being adopted by a family that went to great lengths that baby remains "unwanted" with nothing to contribute but "overpopulating" the earth? Texas – not exactly a lack of resources and room to grow. I take it you are absolutely giddy and infavor of ending life (or in your view any chance at a life 20+ weeks AFTER conception) and vehemently opposed (and mocking when suggested) to giving life a chance thru adoption. The majority of Texas thanks my Governor and legislature for passing and signing this law. What is also not mentioned is this will shutdown dirty and ill-equipped facilities that fail to meet the most basic requirements of medical clinics. Even a dental office had certain standards that until now nasty abortion clinics hadn't been held to. Choose Life.
Just came across this little article again and saw this lovely response, which I now feel compelled to respond to even if it is months later, because why the hell not? Yes, I chose the path of sarcasm in my previous comment because that's just how I amuse myself (plus I think all of your beliefs are idiotic and backwards so why not just entertain myself by mocking you all?! What's life if you can't entertain yourself??).
To clarify, when I made the side note of abortion being appropriate early in a woman's pregnancy, I was not stating that I believe 20+ weeks is early. In my personal opinion I would say early is within the first 12 weeks. My point was misconstrued (and I can see how).
In regards to children, I've worked with kids for more than a decade of my life, from toddlers to teens, and ya wanna know how many bad parents are out there? A LOT. Many parents don't know how to properly raise a child in all aspects (physically, socially, emotionally, etc). The list could go on and on. I'm willing to bet most of you were raised poorly by your parents in some sense based on your responses.
"WHAT?!?!" exclaims the defensive pro-lifer. By this I mean, all of you have professed your opinions and are incapable of understanding that you SHOULD NOT have control over other peoples' lives, you are NOT entitled to make an extremely personal life decision for any woman or couple and you DO NOT have any say in what a woman wants to do with her own body. This is what we here in the land of the FREE call robbing someone of their basic rights. That your parents didn't teach you this…. tisk tisk tisk. (Obviously, I'm not saying your parents should have aborted you all, but they most definitely should have taught you the concept of basic human rights).
Why should ANY of you feel like YOU are of any significance to Suzy Knockedup and have the ENTITLEMENT to tell her what she should do with the unborn fetus in her uterus?
Us pro-choicers have the wisdom and capabilities of understanding that each and every American should have the right and the freedom to choose what they do with their lives. And that is something wonderful I learned from my open, accepting and loving parents.
Let's end this spiel with some fun situational experiment. Let's turn the tables. Say we lived in an extremely overpopulated America and some ridiculous law existed where any pregnant woman MUST get an abortion. All of you would CLEARLY be opposed to this, as would I. And that is because in a country that preaches its freedom, we should all be given the right to make our own personal life choices without the government telling us what to do. God Bless America (And God Bless me for living in New England and not backwards Texas. YAY)
this is, in many ways, at the center of what we are trying to do. thank you guys, keep on posting.
I had no idea Texas has issues like this one. I think there should be a bigger set of laws that should apply to the whole USA, because it's obvious the differences between states are too big right now