In June 2022 Roe v Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson, leaving abortion laws up to each state. Since then, 12 states have completely banned abortion, four states have banned abortion after six weeks, and several other states have instituted bans after more than six weeks. Six week bans are often referred to as “heartbeat laws,” banning abortion once the embryo has developed a heartbeat. However, both medical and reproductive health experts say the reference to a heartbeat at that stage of a pregnancy is medically inaccurate, as an embryo does not actually have a developed heart at six weeks. While the six-week ban is cloaked in moral rhetoric, it ignores medical realities and quite literally regulates women’s autonomy. 

The biggest problem with a six week ban? Many women don’t know they are pregnant before the ban applies. Most women find out they’re pregnant between four and seven weeks, and the first indication tends to be a missed period. However, irregular menstrual cycles, limited access to testing, or subtle early pregnancy symptoms can delay finding out. “Guttmacher Institute’s 2021–2022 Abortion Patient Survey finds that 37% of people accessing abortion discovered their pregnancy at six weeks or later.” Even if you find out at four to five weeks, this leaves a very small window of time to figure out and arrange your next steps. 

18-19 year olds are the least likely to find out they’re pregnant before six weeks; 44% found out they were pregnant at or after six weeks. Because people who have fewer resources often have more challenges accessing health care, they are also more likely to find out about their pregnancies later. 

These bans have resulted in about 20% of women traveling out of their home state to obtain an abortion. States and local governments with bans are passing new legislation to prevent people from traveling out-of-state to access abortion. These abortion “travel bans” were created specifically to prevent minors from traveling to get an abortion and they could have terrifying implications. Ultimately, friends, aunts, or grandparents who help a teenager get an abortion or gain access to medication could be sent to prison for “human trafficking.” These bans would effectively leave children with no choice but to give birth to their own children. It’s hard to feel like this is at all pro-life, and it’s giving serious Handmaids Tale vibes.

What is to blame for unwanted teen pregnancy? Poor sex education. More than half of the states in the US do not require medically accurate sex education, and even more teach abstinence-only sex-ed. Abstinence-only curriculums generally don’t include information on birth control, condoms, or how to prevent pregnancy. Therefore, this sex-education (if you can even call it that) leaves teens without the proper knowledge to make the best decisions for their health and bodies. BTW, studies have shown abstinence-only education does not work to prevent teens from having sex. 

Unsurprisingly, Project 2025 suggests redefining sex-ed as “pornography” and wants to replace comprehensive sex education with abstinence-only education in schools. This will only reinforce the unwanted pregnancies and increase the number of young people seeking abortions.

Six-week abortion bans raise legal concerns and challenge the very idea of personal freedom. These laws completely decimate the long-standing protections of Roe v. Wade. By banning abortion before many people even realize they’re pregnant, the policies strip away the right to make deeply personal choices about one’s own body and future.

Beyond the legal implications, there’s also a huge ethical problem. These bans assume a one-size-fits-all moral stance that ignores complexities of real life scenarios. For example, many six week bans don’t have exceptions for rape or incest. This means a 12 year old girl could become pregnant by her uncle and be forced to give birth. How is this in any way pro-life? It’s not. Additionally, many women choose to terminate pregnancies for financial reasons, or because of serious health risks. Forcing someone to give birth against their will is cruel.

By banning abortion before many people even realize they’re pregnant, these policies strip away the right to make deeply personal choices about one’s own body and future.

Beyond the legal issues, there’s also a huge ethical problem. These bans assume a one-size-fits-all moral stance that doesn’t reflect the complexities of real life. They ignore situations like rape, incest, financial struggles, or serious health risks. Forcing someone to give birth against their will isn’t just unfair—it’s cruel.

Forcing someone to carry an unplanned pregnancy can also lead to serious financial problems, especially for those already struggling to make ends meet. The costs of prenatal care, childbirth, and raising a child aren’t small, and for many, they can push families deeper into poverty, putting extra strain on support systems that are already stretched so thin.

And it’s not just individuals who suffer—the healthcare system feels the impact, too. When people are denied access to safe, legal abortion care, some resort to unsafe methods out of desperation. This increases medical risks and drives up healthcare costs. And let’s not forget that many of the very systems meant to support children and families are already overburdened and underfunded, leaving little room to handle the added strain of more forced births.

Because we live in a time when it’s increasingly important to know your options as early as possible, some doctors are suggesting that women take a monthly pregnancy test for a little bit of reassurance. In the case that you do see a positive result, you’ve learned about the pregnancy early enough to have options and time to make decisions. Thoughts or questions? Reach out to hi@hellowinx.com.