Problem Statement
Women’s Rights or Civil Rights? Which is more important in the grand scheme of things? That’s a decision women face when deciding to terminate a pregnancy. One of the major problems that women face today is a lack of legislation regarding Late Term Abortions. It is my belief that women deserve the opportunity to make these decisions themselves, especially when overall health or a change in quality of life comes into play. Narrowing the scope of these policies, two states, California and Texas have outstanding policies in place that fall on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Assessment of Existing Policy
The laws regarding late term abortions are few and far between. Even though there are policies in place, there is no uniform law on a federal level. Federal law passed with Roe v. Wade in 1973 allowed states to add restrictions to post-viability abortions instead of those performed in the early stages of pregnancy. California law allows “post-viability abortions if the women’s life is endangered” (Nash, 2015). Texas law states that abortions are “no longer permitted after 20 weeks post-fertilization under the assumption that the fetus can feel pain between 18 and 20 weeks” (Nash, 2015). 41 states prohibit some abortions after a certain point in the pregnancy, including Texas. 26 states permit late term abortions to preserve the life or health of the …show more content…
In order to address this, I propose that late term abortions be federally recognized in cases to preserve the life or health of the mother and/or child. The largest benefit of this reform is allowing women the control of their health, the health of their child, or the quality of life of said child. With this proposed reform, a universal policy regarding would be put into place and would supersede the policies that are currently in place by each
Women’s Rights or Civil Rights? Which is more important in the grand scheme of things? That’s a decision women face when deciding to terminate a pregnancy. One of the major problems that women face today is a lack of legislation regarding Late Term Abortions. It is my belief that women deserve the opportunity to make these decisions themselves, especially when overall health or a change in quality of life comes into play. Narrowing the scope of these policies, two states, California and Texas have outstanding policies in place that fall on opposite ends of the spectrum.
Assessment of Existing Policy
The laws regarding late term abortions are few and far between. Even though there are policies in place, there is no uniform law on a federal level. Federal law passed with Roe v. Wade in 1973 allowed states to add restrictions to post-viability abortions instead of those performed in the early stages of pregnancy. California law allows “post-viability abortions if the women’s life is endangered” (Nash, 2015). Texas law states that abortions are “no longer permitted after 20 weeks post-fertilization under the assumption that the fetus can feel pain between 18 and 20 weeks” (Nash, 2015). 41 states prohibit some abortions after a certain point in the pregnancy, including Texas. 26 states permit late term abortions to preserve the life or health of the …show more content…
In order to address this, I propose that late term abortions be federally recognized in cases to preserve the life or health of the mother and/or child. The largest benefit of this reform is allowing women the control of their health, the health of their child, or the quality of life of said child. With this proposed reform, a universal policy regarding would be put into place and would supersede the policies that are currently in place by each