The Good, the Bad, and the Truth about New Abortion Laws

In May 2021, Texas governor Greg Abbott signed into law one of the strictest abortion measures in the United States. The law bans abortions after six weeks and allows for private citizens to file suit against abortion providers and anyone who helps someone get an abortion after the time when a baby’s heartbeat can been detected.

Republicans in several other states are considering following Texas’ example and may enact similar laws. According to the Guttmacher Institute, more abortion restrictions were passed in 2021 than in any year since Roe v. Wade in 1973. It’s encouraging to see states passing laws to try to protect life in the womb, but this more positive news stands in stark contrast to a recent supreme court decision in Mexico.

The Mexican court ruled against a state law that imposed several years of prison on women who have an illegal abortion or on anyone who aids them. This decision is significant, especially for a country with one of the world’s largest Catholic populations. Abortion remains illegal in most of Latin America, but Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, and Guyana allow abortions at almost any stage of pregnancy, and a women’s movement advocating abortion rights is gaining traction in Mexico. Analysts stated that the supreme court ruling essentially decriminalizes abortion thanks to years of activism by groups promoting gender rights and equality.

The new law doesn’t mean that abortions will now be widely available, but it certainly opens the door. Already more than one million abortions are performed in Mexico each year. Just like in the US, this number is sure to increase if we don’t see a return to the authority of God’s Word, which teaches that life begins at fertilization. Without God’s Word as our absolute authority, anything goes. Laws do not dictate what is morally right and wrong—God does.