By Delilah GrayStaff Writer
On Tuesday, the House passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, an act that would criminalize abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. While this act failed in 2013 and 2015, this time around it’s already taken its way to the Senate’s door. The House claims their intentions are to save the lives of unborn children, although it’s a thinly veiled excuse parading as righteousness. My question is, “If you truly care about the pain of an unborn child, why don’t you feel the same for the pain of children everywhere else?”
Just when you thought the Trump administration couldn’t be pressing a war on women even more, they spring this bill on us. The only conditions to the bill being waived is if it is to save the life of the mother or in cases of rape/incest – other than that, they won’t hear it. “It’s past time for Congress to pass a nationwide law protecting unborn children from the unspeakable cruelty of late-term abortion,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List. Along with quotes like this, many members of Trump’s administration has been focusing more on restricting reproductive rights than helping the women living in this country, or the 20 million girls undergoing unsafe abortions every year in the world. The opposition claims abortion equals murder, and that Trump shutting down the option for women is justice. While some argue that is bill is justifiable because “the fetus can feel pain at 20 weeks,” this has been proven otherwise by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. A lot of people believe this new bill is a solid form of justice, when it all reality it’s a small step to dictatorship starting within women’s choices.
Another wrinkle of irony within our U.S. government occurred with a Congressman by the name of Tim Murphy. As an outspoken anti-abortion public official, you’d think he’d practice what he’d preach. Some text messages were leaked of an interaction between him and his mistress, with him pushing her to get an abortion. The hypocrisy is real with this one, and so is the resignation notice.
As a woman, having a group, predominantly of men, telling me what I can and can’t do with my body is ridiculous. Instead, how about the government implicates the free health care we’ve all been fighting for or realizing that our bodies aren’t another piece of property they can mold into their own. Personally, I don't agree with second trimester abortions. But I'm going to fight to protect a women's right to her body as much as some people fight to protect their guns. I'm a feminist and I stand by that every woman has their choice with their own body. Eliminating the option of abortions doesn’t eradicate them, it just makes the procedure unsafe. While it’s a taboo subject, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen every day.
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