So it’s possible that this has been discussed before, but no matter because it’s still an important issue today. Yes I’m talking about one of those oh-so touchy topics: Abortion. As of the last few weeks, abortion has been pushed to the back burner as vaping and climate change (the latter being quite important) have surfaced at the forefront of the news atmosphere. 

Despite that though, things have continued to develop in the abortion world. In the last month or so, Tennessee proposed a total abortion ban that would completely ban abortions from the moment a woman discovers she is pregnant. Earlier this year, Alabama passed an extremely restrictive ban that bans abortion even if it’s in the case of rape or incest. 

Many states have also passed “heartbeat” laws that ban abortion after six weeks which is around the time a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Ohio, Louisiana, Kentucky, and Georgia are among the states that have passed such laws. 

On the other side of things, on May 31st, Nevada passed the Trust Nevada Women Act, which decriminalizes abortion. New York, Maine, Illinois, and Vermont have also passed similar laws protecting women and their right to choose to get an abortion. 

Where do I stand? Well, I’m a democrat and like most democrats, I agree with abortion and believe that it should be legal, no matter the case or reason for getting one. And even if I wasn’t a democrat, I’d still have the same standing on it. Now delving into the other side’s stance on abortion, many republicans oppose abortion. They feel that it’s the killing of an unborn child and that it’s evil and unlawful. Today, many republicans are in charge, including our president, meaning that decisions regarding women’s bodies are in the hands of a bunch of old men. 

Now I find quite a bit of irony in the decisions that these politicians are making. They pass bans on abortion yet quite frankly, they aren’t going to give a shit about the rising numbers of children in the foster system. They say they care about unborn fetuses, but once they pop out, who cares, right? 

Another point here is the majority of the people making these decisions are MEN (cisgendered males). They don’t even have the ability to carry a child so why are they making the decisions for those that can? 

I mean most of these men probably understand practically nothing about the female anatomy, much to the dissatisfaction of their wives. These are the type of men who still think that Planned Parenthood only performs abortions, when in reality they also do pregnancy testing, cancer screenings, sex education, and STD testing among many beneficial services. 

According to the Planned Parenthood 2019 factsheet, only 8% of their patients are there for abortion services. Only 8% yet people still stand outside these clinics screaming at clientele who are probably just there for their 16 week check-up. Politicians are still trying to cut funding to Planned Parenthood despite all that they do to aid women. 

Many states have also taken action to knock down laws that require approval from the woman’s husband and/or father in order to get an abortion. These go along with other laws requiring the doctor to explain the negative effects of an abortion (emotional manipulation). Nevada’s new act, mentioned above, deals with these issues and struck them down, expanding women’s rights. 

In many states, women still need to get approval from their partners in order to get a tubal ligation or hysterectomy. In the case of vasectomies or the old “snip-snip”, men don’t need any approval whatsoever from their wives. 

So for the men reading this, how would you feel if your partner needed to sign a paper in order for you to get this procedure? I mean, they’re your genitals, right? And it’s really frustrating to need approval from a woman for it to be performed. 

Now, although Pennsylvania doesn’t have the most restrictive abortion laws, they’re still a bit outdated. “A woman must receive state-mandated counseling that includes information designed to discourage her from having an abortion, and then wait 24 hours before the procedure is provided.” This quote comes directly from Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania’s page. Other than that garbage, PA is alright on their abortion laws, especially in comparison to some of those down in the South. 

Earlier this year, New York passed a law that allowed abortion after 24 weeks. Promptly, people freaked out without actually reading anything besides headlines. If they had decided to read, they would have discovered that it’s only permitted in the third trimester if the mother’s life is in danger or the baby will die right after birth. 

Even I would not agree with abortion in the third trimester because at that point, it genuinely looks like a human being and is more than a small bundle of cells. But if the mother is legitimately going to die because of the fetus or if the fetus isn’t going to survive, than an abortion is absolutely necessary. 

Overall, abortion is absolutely necessary and should be completely legal, no matter the case. Without abortion, teenagers, women who can’t afford a baby, and those who just aren’t ready to have one will be forced to carry to full-term. This is unlawful and infringes on my rights and all other women’s rights. Hopefully in the future, these recent bans will be overturned and people will realize the necessity of abortions in our country. 

Abigail is a sophomore Mass Communications major and is the President of the BU Democrats.