Essay on Abortion: Roe V. Wade and Political Participation

Submitted By Eveliz729
Words: 1466
Pages: 6

Such legislations like the Abortion Law are allowed because of public policy. Where the state has the right to create laws and regulations to make we “the people” happy and if such laws are necessary. Take for example stop sings, or red lights or to prohibit texting while driving. That is public policy. It is basically a solution to a problem. It does however bring into play landmark rulings such as Roe v. Wade and the 14th amendment, because where does that leave our right to privacy and why does it leave the decision to have an abortion until the third trimester. It definitely leaves us with a lot of questions, questions that are not clear because up till now we had an idea of the order of how things should be because of what has happened throughout history. As stated before with the example of Roe v. Wade and the 14th amendment. But from what I’ve gathered about public policy is that it can change at any point at any time, it can make or break and bend the law depending on what it’s going to fix. Meaning that if a certain state has a problem that needs fixing and so many people have the same problem it is up to the government to decide what policy needs to be made in order to fix the problem that the “public” has. That is the bottom line, a demand from the people that needs attention. In reference to the state of Texas’s proclivity towards such mandates like the abortion law, it is safe to say that it is because majority of the state is conservative. Therefore majority rules, so what the people want the people get. It isn’t just about solving a problem which in this case seems bigger than something quick that needs an easy fix. The abortion issue is a controversial issue at that! Here in Texas especially, what with being conservative for such a long time, its people have taken a stance and want to be heard. Even though Senator Davis’s 11 hour filibuster caught a lot of attention, and her stance was supported by many it still wasn’t enough to win over that specific issue. It seems way more serious than what her debate was, its talking about people’s lives it really is serious business. Senator Davis in an interview with the Huffington Post, shared her story about her two abortions, one caused by an ectopic pregnancy and the other one caused by the loss of a child with an abnormality and whose chances of surviving were zero to none. Even though she could have shared this heartbreaking story during her 11 hour filibuster to try to persuade with empathy the decision of the court, she did not and that says a lot about her because she still stood up there and ready many letters of countless cases that were important in proving why the bill would be a mistake. She also expressed something that she has been true to, her entire career and it was the following, “It (abortion) is a decision uniquely for women and their family, guided by their faith and their God. It is not one government ought to intrude upon.” Which causes a lot of controversy, again for the obvious reasons. She states that the government should not intrude in our private lives, but how far can we as a people allow for the government to make these decisions for us. And can we rely on cases like Roe v. Wade or even the 14th amendment which clearly states that the Due Process Clause protects the right to our privacy which does also include a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Many questions arise when we analyze public policy and Texas’s inclination towards adopting these legislative mandates. What we need to remember is that there is a social contract that there are majority rights that whether we like it or not are important to make or break a law or a bill. It is not just about fixing the problem there is a formula for how things work in politics.
As we consider this lets think about how important political participation is. Political participation is an important connection as well in order to understand the legislative process within the states.