The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of The Prowler.

Restrictions on abortions have been on the rise in the United States over the past years. Currently, if Roe v. Wade is overturned or restricted, abortions could immediately be prohibited in 24 states and three territories. Certain conservative states are even working on laws that ban people from flying to other states to have an abortion safely and legally.

These abortion laws ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. A majority of people don’t even know they are pregnant by six weeks. Six weeks pregnant means six weeks after the person’s last period. A person wouldn’t know their period is late until four weeks after pregnancy,  that is if they track their periods consistently and have consistent periods on the same days every month. This doesn’t take into account that periods can be late due to travel, stress, weight gain or loss, and more. After those four weeks are up, a person would have to get into a clinic, be diagnosed as pregnant, and have an abortion in the span of two weeks. It’s simply not enough time.

Restricted access to abortions will have major health consequences on pregnant people. A recent study estimated that banning abortions will lead to a 21% increase in pregnancy-related deaths. This estimate is without taking into account deaths from unsafe abortions.

Bans will not stop abortions from happening. Instead, they will simply lead to more “back-alley” abortions. These abortion bans will lead to deaths that could be avoided. 

Recent restrictions on abortion also disregard the safety and well-being of the embryos after they are born as well as the person who is pregnant. It is very unlikely for someone to care for a baby they were forced to have. There are also people who are not financially fit or not mentally ready to have a baby.

These bans on abortions also restrict access to pregnancies that resulted from rape and incest. Having a child after being raped would take an extreme toll on a person’s mental health, especially if the child looked like the rapist. Incest is illegal in the U.S. partly because of the health implications that result from incest. There is not enough genetic variation. The bad genes that both parents have would not be drowned out and the child would be far more likely to develop genetic disorders passed down through their family.

Restricting abortion laws has dire consequences. It will lead to more unsafe abortions, does not care about the fetus after it is born, and there is not nearly enough time to get help. These abortion restrictions will do nothing but hurt people.