As of Sept. 1, Texas outlawed abortions past the six week mark. This law also allows people of the state to sue anyone who aids, abets, or performs an abortion after six weeks.

Most women discover they’re pregnant through symptoms at 5-6 weeks, roughly when Texas governor Greg Abbott decided to ban the procedure.

The right to access abortion legally became apart of the 14th Amendment when Roe Vs. Wade went into effect in 1973. The Supreme Court recognized that abortion is a fundamental liberty, that Texas has now chosen to ignore.

In Texas, the current teen pregnancy rate is 24%, and 8.5% of those women 16-19 years old obtained an abortion. As teenage women, students in high school do have to worry about pregnancy risks. This is why the new abortion law being reversed is extremely important to many students.

A Freedom High School senior, who requested to remain anonymous, said, “the Texas abortion ban is an extreme setback for women, abortion is a basic healthcare need for many and [this law is] discriminatory against women.” 

The significance of this instate law has spread across the country and many people are taking a stand for what they believe in. Students from Freedom High School, a public school located in South Riding, Virginia, have been advocating their personal opinion, as well as reaching out and speaking to their peers.

Anya Anand, a junior at FHS, said she is, “extremely angered by the lack of accountability and hypocrisy put forth by not only Texas representatives but also by the United States legal representatives.”

Like Anand, many women are coming forward to share their opinions and personal stories of how this law affects them and their choice.