Category: Abortion

American University students and staff reacted on Tuesday to the Supreme Court’s historic ruling on Texas’s restrictive abortion clinic laws.

Anisa Santiago, 21, was raised around pro-life Catholics, but attends American University, which she says tends to be more liberal. Though she doesn’t support abortion, she believes the Texas government shouldn’t have restricted access.

“If the government wants to shut down abortion clinics they need a better reason,” Santiago said.

The Texas bill required all abortion doctors to have admitting privileges to any hospital within 30 miles from their clinic, and  forced all abortion clinics in the state to upgrade to ambulatory surgical centers. The changes forced many clinics to close.

Although Texas officials originally claimed their motive for enacting the restrictive legislation was to ensure the security and safety of women, some aren’t so sure.

“It was a poorly disguised political scam,” said Alex Mazzarisi, 22, an American University graduate. She added, “Abortions should be an option to all women.”

Before this bill was pushed through the Texas legislative system, there were as many as 36 abortion clinics in the state. Today, that number has dwindled down to about 8, according to the group Fund Texas Choice.

After Monday’s Supreme Court ruling, Texas Governor Greg Abbott responded in a press release, saying, “The decision erodes States’ lawmaking authority to safeguard the health and safety of women and subjects more innocent life to being lost. Texas’ goal is to protect innocent life, while ensuring the highest health and safety standards for women.”

Genesis Marte, 19, was convinced that Texas’s measures Abbott defended were “ridiculous.”

“Woman’s body, woman’s choice,” Marte said.

Rob Drinkwater, an AU staff member, agreed.

“They should have the right to choose and rights to their body,” said Drinkwater, 31.

American University students showed overwhelming support of the June 27 Supreme Court decision overturning a restrictive Texas abortion law.

The 5-3 ruling struck down a Texas bill, known as HB2, which would have effectively forced the closure of nearly 40 health clinics that perform abortions, leaving women seeking services very few options in the Lone Star State.

“It’s a good thing,” Genesis Marte, 19, said of the high court’s decision to protect abortion services. “That’s a woman’s body and a woman’s choice.”

Anisa Santiago, 21, attended Catholic school and says she was raised pro-life. But now, as an American University student, Santiago also takes a pro-choice stance.

“If the government wants to shut down [clinics], they need a better reason,” Santiago said of the Texas law, which would have required health clinics to build special surgical facilities.

Alex Mazzarisi, 22, an American University graduate, agrees with the Supreme Court’s decision. She also felt as if it came with a lot of unneeded attention.

“I was happy,” Mazzarisi said. “There is a lot of restriction, very unnecessarily so.”

In the wake of the decision involving Texas, Wisconsin, Alabama and Mississippi abortion laws are getting more attention, according to the Supreme Court website.

To many, Texas’s law would have made women travel further for services, causing an undue burden.

“I think they should be available, of course, with health insurance and to help keep low-income woman out of poverty,” Mazzarisi said.

Santiago agrees that abortion should be accessible because nobody but the woman having it can understand the experience the procedure brings.

“It should be available pro-choice, nobody knows unless you’re going through it,” Santiago said. “There’s a stigma. And it’s a bad thing.”