It Was Only a Matter of Time Before Abortion Bans Killed Someone

The recent wave of abortion bans sweeping across several states in the US has sparked outrage and fear among women’s rights activists and healthcare professionals. With draconian laws being passed that severely restrict or outright ban abortion, it was only a matter of time before someone died as a result of these harmful policies.

And sadly, that time has come. In 2021, a young woman in Texas died as a direct result of the state’s extreme abortion ban, known as SB8. The 24-year-old woman, who had a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy, was unable to access the abortion care she desperately needed due to the restrictive law. By the time she was able to seek medical help, it was too late, and she tragically passed away.

This heartbreaking and entirely preventable death serves as a stark reminder of the dangerous consequences of abortion bans. When women are denied access to safe and legal abortion care, they are forced to take matters into their own hands, often resorting to unsafe and illegal methods that can have deadly consequences. In this case, a young woman lost her life because politicians decided to play politics with her health and well-being.

The Texas abortion ban is just one example of the dangerous trend sweeping across the country. States like Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia have all passed extreme abortion bans that criminalize healthcare providers and put women’s lives at risk. These laws not only violate women’s constitutional rights but also ignore the medical realities of pregnancy and the need for safe and accessible abortion care.

It is unconscionable that in the 21st century, women are still dying because they cannot access the healthcare they need. Abortion is a safe and common medical procedure, and denying women access to it is not only cruel but also puts their lives in danger. The recent death in Texas should serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers and the public about the devastating consequences of abortion bans.

Women deserve the right to make their own healthcare decisions without interference from politicians. It is time to trust women to know what is best for their bodies and their lives and to ensure that they have access to safe and legal abortion care when they need it. The tragic death in Texas should not be in vain – it should be a rallying cry to fight back against these harmful and discriminatory laws and to protect women’s health and rights. It is time to put an end to abortion bans before more lives are lost.