Abortion in Alabama has become a controversial topic that continues to raise debates. Just recently, a committee in the state House of Representatives won approval to pass four new laws related to abortion—four laws that I believe set a border line on keeping or aborting a baby.
The law that has received the most attention is if a heartbeat is detected then the fetus cannot be aborted. A heartbeat can be detected around six weeks; Alabama allows abortions up to 20 weeks. It is a reasonable law that should not be argued with, because heartbeat or not, it is a human.
Another law that was passed was to tighten restrictions on parental consent for minors to get abortions. Parents should have a say in what their daughter does with her body, especially if it is harmful. A law that goes hand in hand with this one is doctors must give women information about perinatal hospice services, before aborting the fetus with a lethal anomaly that can result in death months later.
The fourth and final law passed was increasing from 24 to 48 hours the period a woman must wait before an abortion after receiving state-mandated information about adoption services, father’s obligations and other issues. This is important because women can longer contemplate whether or not to get an abortion and the possible after effects of it.
But I believe that adoption is the best option for teen mothers. There will be emotional pain in the end, but at least the baby will go to a good home and be taken care of. I do not see why an adult would have to get an abortion unless it was life threatening to her or the baby.
An abortion can be scarring to a girl, especially if she was not emotionally and physically ready to have sex in the first place. There are reasons for the decision that people should be understanding about, like I have been told before; having a child is life changing, especially at a young age. It is sad to believe that sometimes abortion is the only way out for a girl. Hopefully, these laws can have a positive impact on women.
