Women, Doctors Could Face Death Penalty Under Proposed Abortion Law
A new bill titled the 'Abolition of Abortion through Equal Protection for All Unborn Children Act' would open the door to making women and doctors subject to the death penalty following an abortion.
According to a report from the Texas Tribune, state Rep. Bryan Slaton has filed HB 3326 to abolish abortion in Texas.
The bill seeks "to ensure the right to life and equal protection of the laws to all unborn children from the moment of fertilization."
The bill proposes criminal liability for a woman who has an abortion, or a physician who performs the procedure. Those mentioned above could be charged with assault or homicide, which is punishable by death.
The only exception to the bill would be to "remove an ectopic pregnancy that seriously threatens the life of the mother when a reasonable alternative to save the lives of both the mother and the unborn child is unavailable."
The bill makes absolutely no reference to sexual assault, rape, or incest.
Another stipulation to the bill states "a party to an offense to which this section applies may be required to provide evidence or testify about the offense." Such a party would be granted immunity.
Slaton's proposed legislation is not the only abortion bill under consideration during Texas' latest legislative session. According to a report from KXAN-TV, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has identified at least one other bill which would ban almost any abortion procedure should the Supreme Court overturn Roe v. Wade. The second he identified, a so-called "heartbeat bill", may have referred to Slaton's proposal.
Under current Texas law, abortions are banned after 20 weeks gestation. After 16 weeks, the procedure can only be performed at an ambulatory surgical center or hospital. Exceptions may be made if the patient has a life-threatening medical condition or the fetus has a severe abnormality.
The opinions expressed in the following section are those of the author's and not those of Townsquare Media or its affiliates.
OPINION
Here are my thoughts:
Texas lawmakers should not control women's bodies. Lawmakers across the world should not control a woman's body.
The argument on abortion is not black and white. There are so many different things that factor into a woman's decision. To be forced to testify about an already difficult and very personal decision is cruel and unjust.
Contrary to popular belief, most women are not using abortion as form of birth control. That concept is utterly ridiculous. I cannot comprehend why others believe that a woman would choose to spend a large amount of money and suffer through the pain of abortion as a "regular birth control option".
It takes a sperm and an egg to create a life. Why do these "sperm donors" face absolutely nothing, while the woman is held to a much higher standard? Women deserve to have a choice in what happens with their bodies.
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