On Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, one of the most extreme, controversial, and strict laws was put into effect in Texas bannning abortion providers from carrying out terminations after six weeks of pregnancy when fetal cardiac activity can be detected.

Although there may be an exemption for “medical emergencies,” there are no exceptions for rape or incest which essentially forces women to carry these traumatic experiences with them as they carry their pregnancy to term.

Not only is this law, now known as Senate Bill 8, taking away and limiting women’s rights over their bodies, it is only going to increase the number of unsafe abortions among low-income communities and people of color as many already have poor access to health care.

Many women are not even aware that they are pregnant at the six week mark. It could easily be mistaken for a missed period; therefore, this law only makes women’s options more limited when it comes to finding resources and decent health care.

According to an NBC News article, Marva Sadler, Whole Woman’s Health senior director of clinical services, explained her first patient on that Wednesday morning was ineligibile for a legal abortion.

“‘The women who not only live in this state – but who work, pay taxes, vote, pray and are raising the future leaders of this community – are being denied their very basic right to health care,'” emphasized Sadler.

By taking away and limiting a woman’s right to choose, more people will face economic hardship as half of all individuals who obtain an abortion live below the federal poverty level according to NBC News. Those most denied one had four times greater odds of being below that level.

Many struggle with affording basic living expenses, so making these rights harder to access only puts people in a more difficult position. NBC News also reported that the denial of an abortion can lead to a significant increase in mental health issues as well as physical ones.

“‘When we’re thinking about people’s health care, their pregnancies, and their lives, every person is different, and no law like [S.B. 8] can take each unique situation into account,'” stated Dr. Nisha Verma, an OB-GYN providing abortion care in the Washington, D.C., area and a fellow with the Physicians for Reproductive Health.

Essentially, carrying an unwanted pregnancy to term ends up being much riskier to a person’s physical, mental, and emotional health than having an abortion.

The fact that this law is being monitored or policed by citizens rather than the state government shows that this law was never about protecting the rights of a baby, but instead controlling women and their access to health care.

“As such, the ban is just about as close as anti-abortion activists can get to a total prohibition of abortion,’ stating an article from CNN on the ban and why it matters.