For my passion project in English class this semester, I decided to focus on the current issue impacting people across the state of Texas, the new abortion ban. The Texas Heartbeat Act, or SB 8 is “An act relating to abortion, including abortions after detection of an unborn child’s heartbeat; authorizing a private civil right of action.” (SB 8, Government) The ban declares that it is illegal for a physician or healthcare provider to perform an abortion in the state of Texas if there is a detectable fetal heartbeat which often occurs six weeks into the gestation period. The gestation period is the time period from conception of the fetus to birth, at six weeks the fetus is around the size of a sweet pea. Over the next few months, I will be writing a piece from four different perspectives on the Texas Heartbeat Act. These perspectives will include Pro-Choice, Pro-Life, the Texas state government’s views, followed by my opinion on this issue after evaluating each groups’ perspectives. In this essay, I will be covering the Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion perspective with input from Nneka Iheanacho, the Houston Outreach and Orginizing Manager from Avow. 

I contacted Nneka Iheanacho in mid-Febuary requesting an interview to understand the Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion perspective from someone who is actively fighting and working against legal actions, like the Texas Heartbeat Act. Here's what she said:

Hello Nneka, 

I have a few questions for you, I would appreciate you answering all of them but if you do not feel comfortable with any of them that's completely fine.

Name, Pronouns and Profession

Iheanacho - Nneka, she/her, Houston Outreach & Organizing Manager for Avow

2. How you got involved in the conversation about abortions?

Iheanacho - I first became involved in the repro movement in college. I started off as an intern for the current organization that I work for. 

3. How do you align in the abortion issue and why? (Pro-Choice, Pro-Life)

Iheanacho -  I would call myself Pro-Abortion and Pro-Reproductive Revolution. I feel that everyone should have access to a full spectrum of reproductive care, that includes abortion and shouldn't be restricted based on someone's income, race, zip code, etc. 

4. What do you know about the Texas Abortion Ban and how do you feel about it?

Iheanacho -  I am going to assume that you are referring to SB 8 when you wrote Texas Abortion Ban. I believe that the ban is doing exactly what it was intended to do. It continues to marginalize and villanize those who seek and perform abortions. I also feel that the ban is especially heinous in the way that it pits neighbors against neighbors, family against family, friends against friends, etc. by putting a bounty on those that help others who are seeking an abortion. 

5. How do you think this ban will impact the rest of the United States?

Iheanacho -  As we have already seen, other states have already begun to adopt some of the language from SB 8. I foresee more states recreating some of the policy in SB 8 and possibly implementing that dangerous rhetoric into their work. I also see organizers, members, and supporters of the Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion movement fighting back and continuing to show up and out for our communities.

6. Do you feel this ban will negatively impact people's mental and physical health?

Iheanacho -  I believe that anytime policy does not reflect the voice of the masses and does not uplift the most marginalized among us, then it's going to cause adverse health effects.

7. How are you actively involved with this ban?

Iheanacho - This is a great opportunity to talk about rapid response culture and the control of the narrative. White supremacy has taught us that the ban is the most important or urgent issue facing abortion access and as a result, that's what we should be focused on. However, I am actively choosing to be involved with uplifting my community, ensuring that our needs and voices are being met, and decentralizing/combating the ban with more education, more community building, and more empathy.

8. What would you like to see happen in Texas and the wider United States?

Iheanacho - I would like to see every Texan, every person be able to live the life of their choosing and not have to worry about the government and certain special interest groups controlling the narrative.  

I found her input very interesting and helpful in understanding what some Pro-Abortion supporters might be currently feeling. Obviously, not every person who is Pro-Abortion will have the same reaction or thoughts to this act but I think what she said helped me see through the Pro-Abortion lense. One of Nneka Iheanacho’s main points that really stood out to me was when she said this act is actively hurting marginalized communities. I know that this ban is extremely harmful for everyone, but as a white middle class person I had the mindset that there were other options available, such as you could go out of state to get the procedure or order abortion inducing pills. I found that these alternatives are not always an option for people that face socioeconomic hardship. Before the Heartbeat Act, options like Planned Parenthood Clinics provided in-state locations and affordable access to abortion procedure and medicine. Now most of the legal options are expensive and not located in-state. This location challenge requires additional time off from work that some people can not do. This act is attacking marginalized communities that governments should be supporting the most.  To me this shows that the Texas State Government does not care for their citizens’ mental or physical wellbeing and that they prioritize conserative beliefs over the lives of Texans. 

To get the best understanding of the Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion perspective possible I decided to watch a video containing a second primary source from a Texan ObGyn, Danielle Jones.   During the thirty minute video I noted three main points.  The first point being that this  ban prohibits people from getting abortions after the heartbeat is dected under most circumstances.  Even if the pregnacy proves to have an increased risk of sickness or death the abortion remains illegal until the pacient is on death’s door. “I would not be able to do anything until she is very sick or dying” (18:46). This brings up the issue of when does a pregnant persons condition deteriorate  and how much time do you have to perform the abortion. The second point claims that with laws like the Heartbeat Act  medical teams become afraid to perform abortions because of the threat of lawsuit, even if  patients’ condictions are dire and the medical team thinks that an abortion is the best option.  If medical teams wait and lose the patient the emotional and mental pain of that is irreversible. “Anytime you have your medical team afraid to intervene in what they know is right and what the patient is asking for, there will be bad outcomes” these can vary from sickness of the pregnant person or the fetus to the death of both. (8:10). The final point I pulled from this video was that people with irregular periods tend to find out that they are pregnant later than others, so by the time they get tested it is possible that the fetus' heartbeat could be detected. This leaves a very limited amount of options for the pregnant person and that is a big risk for their mental and physical health. 

I noticed several similarities between my interview with Nneka Iheanacho and Danielle Jones’ video. One being that they both had the wellbeing of the pregnant person as a high priority during pregnancy. They also both mentioned the possible negative impacts that this restricting act could have on the mental health of pregnant people and their community. Through engaging conversations and reasearching the Pro-Choice/Pro-Abortion perspective I think that this stance honors mental and physical wellbeing above the birth of the fetus and supports the pregnant person in their choices throghout the pregnacy.