Abortion Policies in Texas

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/03/back-alley-abortions_n_5065301.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000063

This article by the Huffington Post entitled "The Return of the Back-Alley Abortion" is an extremely powerful piece that reflects on a woman's experience living in Texas when abortion was illegal and seen as extremely immoral, as well as explains the current turmoil that Texas is undergoing in regards to abortion policy.

When I first started reading this article and read the Karen Husley's story, I was absolutely shocked about the experience she endured because she became pregnant. I always heard about back-alley abortions and the danger behind them, but I guess I never expected for it to be as traumatic and terrifying as Husley's story was. It scares me to think that just about 40 years ago, women had to rely on back-alley abortions in order to get an abortion, and still have to do today due to the limited amount of resources that are provided to some women who need to have an abortion. Also, as we discussed in class, there is such a hype put on abortion and that it is only for lower class, younger women who have sex pretty liberally. Husley, however, was 20 years old, was using what is usually an extremely accurate form of birth control, and was in what she believed was a serious relationship. Husley does not fit the "mold" of a woman who gets an abortion.

Currently in Texas, there are over 300 anti-abortion policies in circulation. As the policies stand now, a number of abortion clinics throughout the state have been closed as they do not fulfill the guidelines of a proper surgical facility. As we discussed in class, a new policy in circulation is that a facility to get an abortion in must be so many miles away from from a hospital, once again, drastically limiting the number of care options available to individuals in need of an abortion. As the article explains, women in the Rio Grande Valley near the Mexican border will need to travel up to 240 miles to San Antonio to get an abortion, which could impact women who do not have the resources to get there, as well as immigrant women who may be limited to the Rio Grande Valley area due to their work visa. It scares me to think that relying on back-alley abortions may start to become the norm in Texas once again, which is obviously a very unsafe option. In my opinion, a number of the pro-life lawmakers argue that if abortion is made illegal, then no more abortions would happen, almost as if abortions never happened prior to its legalization following Roe v. Wade.

Overall, this article helped educate me even more on back-alley abortions and the danger that they can all entail for ALL women, not just the women who fit the "mold" of abortions. What do you guys think about the article and the current policies circulating throughout Texas?