The necessity of a woman’s right to abortion

The state of Mississippi passed the Gestational Age Act on March 19, which bans most abortions after 15 weeks—the most restrictive abortion law any of the states. With only one abortion clinic in the entire state, Mississippi already poses unnecessary obstacles to women’s reproductive rights.

Although this single abortion clinic has sued the state for violating precedent abortion rights cases—which prompted a federal judge to momentarily put a hold on the law—the Gestational Age Act could hurt many women in the state who already must go out of their way to find safe access to an abortion.

Even more troubling, this new law does not provide exceptions for survivors of rape or incest—the only exceptions cover women facing life threatening complications during their pregnancy.

In comparison, Pennsylvania allows a woman to obtain an abortion any time in the first six months of pregnancy. A 15-week maximum gives women less time to consider a life-changing decision, let alone actually obtain an abortion in the state (since about 91 percent of Mississippi women do not have an abortion clinic in their county).

Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi claims that this law is “saving more of the unborn than any state in America.” While protecting the rights of unborn children should be a priority at some point, we should not sacrifice the rights of women or ignore the potential consequences of further impeding Mississippi women from obtaining a safe abortion during early stages of pregnancy.

One unintended consequence of passing this strict law is the stress it specifically puts on poor women who want an abortion. As of 2017, Mississippi ranks as the poorest state in the country, with the most amount of people falling below the poverty line.

Many women who want an abortion may seek one for financial reasons. The Gestational Age Act only further restricts these women from making their own choices and could further strain low-income populations in the state.

Mississippi also has one of the highest maternal mortality rates during childbirth in the nation—about 40 women in every 100,000 women died between 2010 and 2012. Many of these deaths could have been avoided if these women had access to the ability to safe abortions.

We need to look at the larger picture. Anti-abortion legislation and fervor is spreading in the United States and will only continue to spread unless we demand a right to our own bodies and decisions. A choice is not present if a state has only one abortion clinic for all of its residents and can only perform an abortion during the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Science still questions when a fetus becomes viable, and until we have concrete answers, we need to promote legislation that best protects all parties, namely mother and child. If a woman’s body cannot sustain pregnancy, or if a woman chooses to obtain an abortion for another reason, she should have access to a doctor who can guide her through all the options and an available abortion clinic if necessary.

As a country, we should remain concerned about restricting women’s rights to their own bodies. Strict laws like the Gestational Age Act could spread to more states if we don’t demand respect and a right to at least have an option.

We cannot further restrict those without privileges or access to resources by only offering abortions to some women. We cannot sacrifice any woman’s rights to satisfy our own beliefs. We cannot let someone else restrict our freedom to choose.