When discussing topics of systematic injustice, one topic that stood out to me as a major issue throughout the country is laws on abortion. This has been a topic that fuels conflicts within the country for a while. Throughout the years different states have made individual rules regarding abortion. Many states, like Ohio, Kentucky, and many more, have made it almost impossible to have an abortion. They restrict the process up to twenty weeks and make it very difficult to get an appointment. Other states, like California or New York women are able to have abortions under any circumstance and there is no amount of time they have to get it by (Is Abortion Legal in my State). From some research, I found that recently Texas has changed their abortion laws. This has made for some controversial protests. Their new change has been to the amount of time women are allowed to have an abortion. The new time frame is only six weeks (Batha). Having the time frame going from twenty to six weeks has made for quite the uprising towards the government. Women are protesting their rights for their body and for them to change the rule back. Rules like these take away from womens rights and their choice when it comes to their body. This qualifies as a systemic injustice because the government has implemented these limitations to women’s rights. Women’s rights have always been limited in some way throughout history. From unequal job opportunities to unequal pay to limitations on abortions, the government has always limited their rights. This situation relates to the book and film Persepolis from class. In the story, Marji and the other Iranian women were forced to wear veils over their heads and modest clothing all around. In this situation, the government took away their rights to choose what they can wear. Making limitations on what they can wear is not the same as making limitations on abortion laws, but the concept of taking away womens rights is represented and explained in both situations.
Sources:
https://news.trust.org/item/20201231112641-qfynt/
https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/abortion-access-tool/US
Picture:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-22/abortion-protests-in-texas-1/11136812?nw=0