House passes bill banning abortions after 20 weeks : Vivie Behrens (Period 6, Week 6)

     The House of Representatives was recently able to pass a bill that makes it illegal to receive an abortion after twenty weeks of pregnancy. The bill requires that only women who were sexually assaulted can receive exemption from this potential law but only if they report sexual abuse to the police and attend counseling and medial examinations two days before the abortion. The law was supported by many republicans and was protested against by women’s rights advocates and liberals.

 This law would potentially infuriate many women’s rights advocates, as well as many women in American society, because it limits their rights to privacy and limits their ability to receive an abortion if they feel it necessary. Additionally, many argue that this decision cannot be made solely by government officials who have no expertise in women’s health. On the opposing side, many religious conservatives and evangelists would probably support this act because they feel that abortion devalues human life. In APUSH, this bill directly responds to the Roe vs. Wade decision which legalized abortion. The ideals behind this law also correlate with the rise of the conservatism during the late 1970's and 80's. 

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/13/politics/house-gop-abortion-20-weeks/