Are Texas Abortion Laws Coming to Pennsylvania?
Ireland Brearey
Recently in Pennsylvania many representatives of the House have voiced approval of bringing a 6-week abortion ban, similar to the one recently approved in Texas, to Pennsylvania which would negatively affects anyone in need of an abortion. This ultimately is the government stripping their citizens of their needed healthcare.
Pennsylvania’s current governor, Tom Wolf, said he would veto any anti-abortion legislation, but his time in office ends on January 17, 2023. Even though he hasn’t planned to pass the ban, Charlie Gerow who is a GOP strategist running for Pennsylvania’s governor, said he’s “happy to see significant abortion restrictions in Pennsylvania.”
This ban not only affects citizens in the area, but also people employed in the medical field. Tabitha Swinkowski, a medical office worker in Philadelphia, is wary of any possible restrictions on abortion in the state.
“Well this can have a very negative impact on women’s healthcare, since this bans abortions under any and all circumstances, including cases where carrying can be detrimental to the person’s health” Swinkowski said. “This ban simply takes away the option of a safe abortion, people are going to go to alternative methods because of this. This will be a great risk causing serious damage.”
Not only have medical workers noticed the issue being faced, but so have teenagers in the area. Camryn Shakoor, an 11th grade student that attends E&S sees this possible abortion ban as just another way that people in power have oppressed women and people of color.
“It’s a serious ban to worry about because it makes you think, if old white men can determine my reproductive rights, then what else will they colonize and then try to rule over?” Camryn said. “The thoughts of the millions of women of color who have been forcibly sterilized by the US government have been running laps in my mind. As much as I would think that I can and would be able to do anything to face it, I’m a minor and I’m a black girl. I’m a minority and nobody wants to hear us, or at least the right people.”
Not only did Camryn have concerns with the ban, but so did another 11th grade student attending E&S, Daniel Bowen.
“This ban is a serious concern for the citizens of Philadelphia,” Daniel said. “If this law is passed those who need an abortion which can be a necessity for a slew of reasons, would all be unaccounted for and disregarded if this were to come to pass.”
Even though Daniel may not be personally affected by the ban, he still found himself surrounded with various issues with it.
“My personal problems with the ban all really center around the fact that everyone has different situations, and thus have all have different reasons for getting an abortion,” Daniel said. “Some might be more dire than others, and some might seem insignificant, but applying an abortion ban would be disregarding all of them. Causing for these women to have nowhere to go when posed with a situation that’d they’d an abortion for.”
With each day creeping towards a day when this abortion ban is passed, our society puts entire populations in risk of their lives. Normal citizens, medical workers, and even students are scared of the complications ahead.
“Each day, we inch closer and closer to becoming that real-life version of the dystopian novel, The Handmaid's Tale, and that’s the scariest part," Camryn said.