A Latina Catholic On Texas’ Overturned Abortion Law

By Christina Rodriguez

As a Latina who was born and raised a practicing Catholic, I consider abortion to be a pretty terrible idea, but I understand extreme situations. A diabetic cousin of mine had an abortion because her health was at risk. Even after she had another child when her health was better, she had many health problems, even slipping into a short coma for a day or so. In her case, her child could be stillborn, or have definite signs of genetic defects if the pregnancy had proceeded.

I was thinking about how abortions are painful enough for everyone involved when Texas’ recent abortion legislation was struck down in part by U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks. The most troublesome part of the law required doctors to describe sonograms to their patients and requiring the patients to hear the descriptions, but luckily this is exactly what Judge Sparks denied.

As I said, I understand extreme cases. I imagine that a pregnancy as a result of sexual assault would be one of the toughest situations for a woman to find herself in. Any others are assumed to be frivolous abortions, which I do not agree with. But by the same token, I don’t feel like I have any right to tell someone in another city (or state, you know this law is already being considered in other states as well) that she can’t have an abortion.

As far as the required an intrusive sonogram and detailed description, forcing a doctor to detail a woman’s fetus to her, so that the woman will consider the consequences of the abortion less frivolously and actually make an informed decision. But what about the doctor? A pro-choice doctor is then required to convince a woman to change her mind? This is why this provision of the law was denied — a doctor’s free speech is at risk here.

What this law assumes is that women are currently making bad decisions for themselves and their fetus. Women will have to hear about the fact that the baby has developed to various stages and will hopefully be overcome by guilt enough to change their minds. Not to mention that the already distressed woman, who has made the huge step to go to a doctor and discuss an abortion, will be required to listen to the description of a fetus that they don’t want or can’t handle for their own very personal reasons.

What kind of law dictates that?

I can only guess that a woman faced with this choice is already paralyzed with indecision, attempting to balance the fetus’ life and her own. Again — who am I to make this choice for her? That is something only she can do, and then she will live with the consequences. Although my Catholic background urges me to pray for women in these circumstances, instead of judging them and dictating their actions, my common sense tells me to make a woman’s tough decision easier by not stopping her at every turn and asking her to think twice — again.

Christina Rodriguez is an aspiring writer and editor living in Houston, Texas. She vents and ponders in her blog, It’s not a show and can be found on Twitter @csaenzrodriguez.