Abortion — and limiting women’s right to choose — was at the forefront of the United States President Donald Trump’s campaign before his election. Following Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 21, U.S. Rep. Eric Burlinson, R-Mo. introduced the beginning efforts for a federal ban to the U.S. House of Representatives: House Resolution 722. “The act would have the potential to place a federal ban on abortions and contraceptives in the United States — marking the dangerous turning point on the drawback on birth control and women’s rights in the U.S.,” Managing Editor Jane Ripps wrote. Illustration by Kimberly Sanabria-Amaya
Since the Inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20, the push for a federal abortion ban has swiftly begun — and no woman is spared.
It only took four days following the inauguration of United States President Donald Trump for his posse of Republican extremists to attack the topic that has been at the forefront of his campaign since 2016: abortion rights.
On Jan. 24, U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo. officially introduced House Resolution 722 — also coined “Life at Conception Act” — to the floor of the United States House of Representatives.
According to the Library of Congress, the bill seeks to “implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person.” Meaning, if passed, human life would begin at conception in the eyes of the law.
Under this amended interpretation, the act would have the potential to place a federal ban on abortions and contraceptives — marking the dangerous turning point on the drawback on birth control and women’s rights in the U.S.
These efforts of infringement are not out of the blue, though.
On June 24, 2022, Roe v. Wade – which legalized abortion in the U.S. and stood for nearly 50 years – was overturned by the Supreme Court of the United States. Abortions were soon banned in 14 states, and 11 established legal limits on when a pregnant person can receive one.
In Georgia, at least two women have died from their inability to receive a timely abortion since Roe v. Wade’s overturning. This reality is guaranteed to only become grimmer if H.R.722 is passed.
“Women are dying, coming really close to death (or) losing their fertility permanently, even in places where there’s technically an exception for the life of another,” Dr. Elise Robinson, Program Coordinator for the University of Georgia’s Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies, said. “(The threat of a federal ban) is really serious.”
This proposed shift in policy, marked by the introduction of H.R.722, marks more than just a violation of the values the U.S. was founded on. It signifies the beginning of a new America — one shaped by “abortion abolitionists” and conservative extremists.
Under the bill, all abortions would be criminalized regardless of circumstances and medical necessity — all in an effort to save eggs and embryos that medical professionals have proved time and time again do not qualify as life.
These will be given precedence above a woman’s health and situation, creating a dangerous and unconstitutional reality.
This proposed shift in policy, marked by the introduction of H.R.722, marks more than just a violation of the values the U.S. was founded on. It signifies the beginning of a new America — one shaped by “abortion abolitionists” and conservative extremists. An America that Trump’s reelection has promised. An America where choice is not an option.
However, during these dire times and against all suppressive natures of new governing politicians, citizens cannot forget that the power is in their hands — even if it needs to be fought for.
H.R.722 needs 218 votes out of the 435 representatives to move from the U.S. House of Representatives to the Senate, where it will need support from 51 of the 100 senators to be ratified by the president. However, Georgians who disagree can exercise their first amendment right and contact U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga through “5 Calls” or “Resistbot”.
But the fight doesn’t end here, whether H.R.722 is passed or dismissed. The grim reality is, in the state of the nation today, attacks on women’s right to choose are all but certain.
“We need to recognize that all of us are experiencing this frankly anti-constitutional, anti-American future, and we need to be reaching out to (one another) because there is power in numbers, and there are more of us than there are of the ones who are in charge,” Robinson said.
In the face of opposition looking to strip the rights away from women, society is witnessing the beginning of unprecedented attempts to limit bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom.
They cannot be completed.
