Texas HB15 & the Abortion Debate Research Paper

Texas HB15 & the Abortion Debate - Research Paper Example The problem in this situation depends on the individual’s own moral views on abortion and the legitimate functions of the State with regard to personal privacy. The reason that it is considered a state issue in Texas is primarily due to the concentration of anti-abortion leaders in the political representatives of the state and their advocacy of this bill. It can be stated that there is no national or local cry from women popularly who are seeking government regulations to control their personal reproductive decisions, but rather a minority group of political conservatives are seeking to apply their moral views to society through this legislation that would introduce mandatory testing and reporting requirements into the medical process of abortion. HB15 â€Å"Relating to providing a sonogram before an abortion; providing penalties,† was introduced into the 82nd Legislative Session of Texas because local anti-abortion advocates believed that they had the political suppor t to push the bill through, but the larger issue is whether this minority has the right to impose their morality on others through the restrictions advocated in the bill, or whether these powers are inconsistent with the individual’s right to privacy. (Texas Tribune, 2011) ... rested parties in this debate are all women particularly who believe it is their right to self-determine their reproductive choices according to their own morality, rather than that of a Republican, â€Å"moral minority† that seizes power through political control of the House and uses this power to pass anti-abortion legislation. The anti-abortion advocates behind the bill are trying to save the life of every unborn child out of their ideological opposition to abortion fundamentally. The problem is that anti-abortion advocates cannot accept that other individuals may have moral standards and views that are different and with that the right to self-determine their lives according to their own definition. The counter-argument to this is that abortion is murder and people must do anything they can to stop it. The reasoning behind the mandate for women to receive a sonogram in the case of an abortion is to morally shame the woman by making her listen to a fetal heartbeat before s he undergoes the procedure. In this instance, the anti-abortionists are interested in humiliating women and forcing them to walk through a bureaucratic system of State control due to the moral views of the anti-abortionists. Policy positions: What are the different policy proposals for the various interested parties? Name the preference for each and what they will gain by having their policy enacted and what they will lose by having another policy enacted. The Dallas News reported on the legislative details of HB15 and the debate in the House over the bill, writing: â€Å"Women in Texas must be offered a fetal sonogram and hear a heartbeat before having an abortion under legislation approved by the Senate on Thursday. The legislation, hailed by abortion opponents as a way to entitle women to more