Ever since Texas passed its most recent heartbeat law, there is no way to avoid the division it has brought to people. The topic of what actions should be given a choice has only gotten louder.

Signed on Sept. 21, the bill has caused an enormous amount of outrage. The effects of it are now felt, as it took effect in September. The bill states that abortions will be banned after six weeks of conceiving. To put this into further perspective, most women don’t know they’re pregnant until weeks 4-7. In the most ideal situation, a woman is only given two weeks to decide whether or not they want an abortion. And no, there are no exceptions for women who were raped or are having children as a product of incest.

The implementation of this bill has sent the Texas justice system back in time. After the decision of Roe v. Wade in 1973, abortion laws remained where women had the choice. But, the Texas justice system has seemed to find a way to give the illusion of choice by allowing ‘six weeks’ for the woman. Women barely have any time to think, and providing them with just six weeks isn’t enough to say they have a choice.

The main source cited for passing this bill was to prevent the murder of children. Whether or not you agree that abortion is murder, this fact alone goes into even more hypocrisy posed by this bill. State representative Bryan Slaton wants to go as far as proposing a death penalty for Texans who get abortions.

Although Slaton’s words may seem like a drastic example of just how controlling Texas lawmakers are willing to be, the ideals can still be found in many. And that is where many stand divided. The topic of providing women the choice has become a political one. On one side, we see many conservatives in support of the bill. They generally agree on the idea that abortion is murder, and that they want to prevent this. But on the other side, we see many liberals believe that this isn’t murder. But that begs the question, why is there so much outrage?

The main thing that has caused the swarm of hate and anger is the loss of choice. Many women in Texas lost their rights in May, and we have no way of knowing how this bill passing can affect other states. But one shred of hope can be seen with the Department of Justice. The Department of Justice has started talks of suing Texas for their restrictive bill. In the following months, we may see the events of Roe v. Wade repeat themselves all over again.

With the loss of freedom this bill invokes, I only continue to advocate for those who have lost control over their body. The nature of choice is very important, especially in the medical field, and Texas is stripping this away. In the end, it is your choice what you want to do with your body. As in other situations where you would like a choice, this one is no different. You can advocate for women’s rights by showing your support towards the pro-choice movement or even sign a petition.