On September 1st, Texas signed into law one of the nation’s strictest abortion bans, barring folks of any gender that can carry a child from getting an abortion past 6 weeks into a pregnancy. It has no exceptions for extreme circumstances such as rape or incest, and it weasles its way out of violating Roe v. Wade by making the legal proceedings *not* through a governmental entity. Right now in Texas, it is perfectly legal to sue any person trying to get an abortion and anyone that may help them obtain one (lyft drivers, loved ones, abortion funds, etc). Many abortion providers are axing this service all-together and having long, long conversations about this law and its inevitable impact. This news has been in almost every news outlet.
Regarding my initial reaction to this story: I cannot say I was particularly surprised. Texas politicians -- Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and more -- have been making it very clear that they intend to align with the far-right and rescore political points after an embarrassing winter storm fiasco as much as possible. Unscientific claims of transgender people being “a threat to women’s sports”, baseless fear leading to bills that suppress already-suppressed voters, ridiculous and uneducated critical race theory debates, and more have been a part of the unfunny joke that has been the past 3 legislative sessions. The abortion ban felt like the unfortunate icing on the cake, and I couldn’t be more clear about how this impacts current and future social workers in this state and beyond.
More than anything, this time had reminded me how essential abortion services really were. Though I have been pro-choice since the moment I was taught Roe v. Wade in a Texas public school, it never quite dawned on me how frequently people get abortions. Reading that clinics provided services up until 11:59pm, and halls in these agencies were “filled with patients and their loved ones” really stuck with me. It is disastrous to take away something that is necessary care in the unpredictable and unsafe times that we live in. I’ve lived with the knowledge that rape, incest, or any unwanted pregnancy could happen to me at any time since I started puberty. To be forced to keep a baby that I don’t want and be responsible for keeping the child alive in a state that is ranked 46th on children living in food insecure households feels vile to keep it PG. Texas is not a state where children have the resources they need to prosper and survive. This tiring news cycle has given me insight into a precarious situation that I am privileged to not have direct experience with.
The one place where almost all discourse is lacking is in presenting a view that is not solely centered on how this affects cisgender women. Any gender can get pregnant (HELLO GENDER & SEXUALITY 101), and having a uterus does not equal “you are a woman”. “This is a woman’s rights issue” is unfortunately half the truth. This law could negatively affect transgender men and transmasculine people who can give birth just like many cisgender women. This law could negatively affect any person assigned female at birth (this does not mean “woman” y’all) and any person that is intersex that can carry children. To see discourse about this ban be aggressively cisheterocentric after years and years of trans and queer activists informing and strengthening pro-abortion movement work feels disappointing. Almost every news outlet can catch these hands at this point tbh. I’m also embarrassed that we are still here, telling y’all this everytime the word “abortion” goes viral.
Many folks working on abortion rights are also social workers though; we are activists, mental healthcare professionals, case managers, brokers, and organizational analysts among other things in this arena. This law makes the nature of pro-abortion social work more dangerous, difficult, and personally draining, but the advancement of human rights and access to resources are central to our profession. The NASW Code of Ethics says “Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of clients.” Is this not the fight of our lives, then? Can we not show up for the individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities that we are accountable to?
All in all, I am on the side of this law being regressive, unnecessary, and just wack as hell overall and think anyone being neutral or “pro-life” on this issue deserves papercuts/hell. In just a week we’ve already seen its affects be negative; we will continue to see that in the coming months, and I gather that social workers such as myself will have to get creative with how we partake in solidarity work moving forward. I think that the creativeness will undoubtedly include policy practice, mental health services, and re-establishment of dignity and worth within the clients we work with and ourselves.
These are all suitable tasks for social workers and other humans out here in any profession or position. I just hope y’all are listening.
-KB