Champions
CypressIf Roe v. Wade Is Overturned, What Does That Mean For Me today?
First, let’s summarize the original Roe v. Wade ruling from 1973
In 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the 14th Amendment’s “right to liberty” clause guaranteed a woman’s right to privacy regarding medical decisions, including abortion.
To summarize the decision’s impact on your right to an abortion:
- The court ruled that individual states could not prohibit abortion in the first trimester of pregnancy.
- The court also ruled that states could impose some restrictions during the second trimester, with the intent of protecting women’s health.
- States were further given the right to prohibit abortion once the fetus reached viability—meaning that a baby could survive if delivered at that stage of development. Currently, viability is established at 22-23 weeks, before the end of the 2nd A full-term pregnancy lasts 40 weeks.
What happens if Roe v. Wade is overturned, as the “leaked” Supreme Court document describes? Will abortion really be illegal in the United States?
Despite this widely held misconception, if overturning Roe v. Wade is the final decision of the Supreme Court, this ruling would NOT make abortion illegal in all of the United States. In fact, overturning Roe v. Wade would neither makes abortion legal nor illegal. It would just mean that the creation of all abortion laws will return to the individual states. Each state’s legislature will again have the right to make their own state-wide laws about abortion.
Some states MAY LEGALIZE abortion throughout the entire pregnancy;
Other states MAY PROHIBIT abortion throughout the entire pregnancy;
While still others MAY ALLOW ABORTION UP THROUGH A CERTAIN POINT of the pregnancy.
All future abortion laws would be crafted and adopted following the same procedure as for all other laws. A single individual, such as a governor, cannot make laws about abortion. That duty would fall to our duly elected officials who have been voted into office by the citizens of each state. As in passing all laws, the citizens of each state will influence the decisions made by their elected officials.
I’m reading some frightening posts on social media about what will happen if Roe v. Wade is overturned.
I’ve read that I will have to prove that I did not cause an abortion if I have a miscarriage or that I will be tracked to make sure I don’t have an abortion if I buy a pregnancy test or that my doctor will have to report to the government that I am pregnant so they can track me?
It’s hard to understand what the motive could possibly be for people or organizations to spread false information—especially online. It seems to be intended to create fear and anxiety. We know that in Texas, it seems like the laws have been constantly changing for the past 2+ years. When can I get an abortion? Can I get an abortion at all? Can I get abortion pills through a virtual visit at a clinic? What are the additional risks that may come from ordering abortion pills online from an organization that sounds like they want to help me?
We know that if you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, there’s so much you need to know: You need to know what are the laws that are in place at the time YOU are making a decision about YOUR pregnancy.
You need to know how far along you are and if a heartbeat is detected. As of this writing, the Texas Heartbeat Law is still in effect. This law prohibits a medical professional from performing an abortion in Texas once a heartbeat is detected via ultrasound.
You need to know if your pregnancy is viable—that is, that the embryo is developing as expected or if you have perhaps miscarried. Up to 20% of pregnancies naturally end in miscarriage—most before the 12th week—but the level of the hormone detected by a pregnancy test can still indicate that you are pregnant.
You need to know if you have an ectopic pregnancy—which is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the embryo implants outside the uterus. An ectopic pregnancy cannot be treated by either an in-clinic abortion or by abortion pills.
Explore Your Options
If you want to get all the current facts and explore all your options—make an appointment today at one of our two locations, in Champions or in Cypress. Here’s the map for the closest location to you.
Here’s what we can do for you: we can confirm your pregnancy with a highly accurate pregnancy test and then—via ultrasound—confirm viability, development, and verify that the embryo is located in the uterus.1
There’s never a charge for our services. We are a non-profit organization supported by your local community, so there’s no financial benefit to us from the decisions you make for yourself.
For such an important decision, we recommend that you get the facts—all of them—so you can make the best choice for you. Call today. We’re here for you.
1 Depending on scans that have already been scheduled on the day of your initial appointment, you may need to schedule your ultrasound scan during a follow-up appointment.