Current Connection #4

In an article posted February 22, 2013 entitled "Arkansas House approves bill banning abortions at 20 weeks" Author Suzie Parker informs readers about the recent vote to ban abortions after a woman is 20 weeks pregnant. This bill only allows exception in the case of rape, incest, or to save the mother's life.

Parker explains that this new bill has shortened the already exisiting limit of 25 weeks for abortions. She states, "Seven U.S. states have laws that restrict or ban abortion after the 20-week mark and similar laws approved in Arizona and Georgia are facing legal challenges." This new bill is based on the fact that medical researchers suggest that a fetus starts feeling pain at 20 weeks of gestation.

Abortion right activists are outraged by this bill. Murry Newbern, a lobbyist for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, defended abortion by saying, "Any bill that restricts access to safe abortion is bad for women in Arkansas." She also said, "Every woman's health care needs are different, and it's vital that a woman be able to make her own personal, private decisions about her health and medical care with the consultation of her doctor, her faith and her family." Although a woman should make decisions about her own personal health, this case is different because now it involves the life of the baby also.

Parker reports, "...if it becomes law, would be the stiffest abortion restriction in the country." However, there are still some exceptions to the new law. Lawmakers voted that there will be exceptions in certain cases of rape, incest, or if carrying the baby threatens the mother's own personal safety. These special cases should always be considered carefully because with this being the only exception to the law, many women will start crying "rape!" everytime they want an abortion.

 I fully support this law because innocent unborn baies should not have to die simply for the fact that the mother was not responsible enough to be on birth control before having sex. It is not the government's job to fix a woman's personal mistakes, otherwise there would be a clinic that erases the memory of someone after someone says something they regret. However, when rape is involved then it is obviously not the woman's fault and it was not her choice to risk getting pregnant, do this law is fair to everyone, which is what a law should be!