I hope everyone is clear: the absolute earliest you can find out if you're pregnant is at 4 weeks. Even then, there are false negatives. So, in a state with a post-6 week ban, people have maximum 2 weeks to schedule an abortion. That's not gonna happen for a lot of people.
It's especially not going to happen for teenagers who are victims of rape or incest. You have to miss your period, be tracking your period, psychologically gather yourself, get access to a test, & then schedule an appointment. All w/in a 2 week period. You can't know sooner.
And, again, that 2 week period depends on that first test actually picking up enough HCG to register as positive. How many teens--or people more generally--understand that they could get a false negative?
Usually only people who are trying to get pregnant know this.
Usually only people who are trying to get pregnant know this.
Look up "is this a positive pregnancy test?" People who are trying to get pregnant share results all the time. Sometimes the lines are very, very faint & can only be seen if held up to the light, especially at only 4 weeks. You think a 14 year old is going to know this? 
And, yeah, for those who don't know: "4 weeks pregnant" means about 2 weeks from the point when sperm was ejaculated. It's not actually 4 weeks. Do kids universally know this?
I don't think so.
I don't think so.
A lot of people are gonna be harmed by these new laws. Especially lower income people. &, right now, I can't stop thinking about the kids. Whether they're sexually active of their own choice or a victim of violence, our country will be increasingly forcing children to give birth.
In the meantime, if you're a parent of a teen, please tell them about pregnancy tests. Tell them you'll buy tests for them. And tell them the results can be inconclusive, so sometimes multiple tests are necessary. I'd say every parent should do this & keep pregnancy tests at home
If I were a parent of a teen, I'd keep a bundle of pregnancy tests in the bathroom. But, then, not all parents would be like me. And frankly I'm just scared for kids overall, especially kids who are abused.
For these laws, clock starts ticking on the 1st day of a missed period, 2 weeks after ejaculation. You might have enough HCG to detect; you might not. If you wait a day to see if the period comes, then you only have 13 days. Then 12. Then 11.
No one will have more than 14 days.
No one will have more than 14 days.
Imagine a 13 year old kid figuring all this out. All in the space of 14 days, if all goes perfectly (and it won't). If they wait just a couple of days to test, then they'll have only a week left. Will they be able to see a doctor? Will they know who to call?
In many cases: no.
In many cases: no.
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