Texas fue donde comenzó la batalla por el derecho al aborto en 1970.
Pregnant “Jane Roe” sued Henry Wade, the District Attorney for Dallas County, challenging the state’s law that said abortion was illegal except in case of medical emergencies.
This led to the 1973 Supreme Court’s decision to legalize abortion at the federal level.
Nearly 50 years later, Roe v. Wade has been reversed at the highest court in the land.
So how does that affect the state of Texas?
What was Abortion in Texas Like Before the Supreme Court Overturned Roe v. Wade?
Texas was already one of the most restrictive states when it came to abortion. A 2021 law made abortion after 6 weeks, when a fetal heartbeat was detected, illegal. Before that, abortion was legal until 22 weeks gestation.
In 2014 numbers started to decline because of a new law that was implemented saying that abortion clinics had to be within 30 miles of a hospital where women could be admitted in case of an emergency.
So several clinics that did not meet that criteria had to shut down.
So What is Different Now?
A trigger law was set in motion the day the Supreme Court reversed abortion laws. This law had a 30 day stop gap, meaning it would not go into effect immediately.
Set to start on August 25, this law will make all abortion illegal from the point of conception, just as it was before 1973 when Jane Roe changed everything. This will include the abortion pill, which will be illegal to receive or send by mail.
In Texas, doctors, abortion providers, drivers who transport a woman to an abortion clinic, and those who pay for an abortion can all be prosecuted if they are caught participating in illegal abortions.
The law does stipulate that a woman who receives an abortion can’t be sued.
What Options Do Pregnant Women Have?
Because abortion is now totally illegal in the state, pregnant women have a three options: travel out of state for an abortion, find adoptive parents, or become a parent.
Here at our clinic we want to help you learn about all of these options and what they would look like for you. We can offer free pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, as well as confidential counseling. We can connect you with parenting and adoption resources if you choose to go that route.
You are not in this alone! Please contact us today for a free, no pressure consultation.
