What Happened with the Abortion Law in Texas
A group of abortion providers filed a lawsuit Monday to prevent an old abortion ban that existed before Roe v. Wade before a trigger law went into effect that bans most abortions in the state. Texas regulates abortion-inducing drugs like misoprostol more strictly than required by federal regulations; They can only be prescribed and dispensed personally by a doctor during the first seven weeks of pregnancy. To learn what other laws govern abortion in Texas, click here. Q: If this law is in place, can I still have an abortion? Paul Linton, an attorney for the anti-abortion group Texas Alliance for Life, said he believes a higher court will soon overturn the injunction and that the abortion ban should remain in place before Roe. The Court`s decision concerned only these two laws. Even worse, before the Supreme Court could make its decision, the damage had already been done. Unconstitutional laws have forced many clinics to close, and Texas has few clinics to serve millions of people of childbearing age. If federal courts eventually allow this law, it is very likely that other conservative states will pass similar laws.
Seago, of Texas Right to Life, said his organization is working with activists in several states willing to replicate this model if it succeeds in blocking access to most abortions in Texas. “I expect what is going to happen is exactly what happened in SB 8,” he said, referring to the civil ban on abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. “People will play it safe and. The deterrent effect will be enormous. » Can I get pregnant again after an abortion? Yes. Abortion has not been shown to cause complications in subsequent pregnancies, and there is no scientific evidence that abortion is associated with infertility. Can I have an abortion in Texas if I am under 18? Yes. If you are under the age of 18, Texas law generally requires you to obtain consent from your parent or guardian. If you are legally emancipated, you do not need the consent of a parent or guardian. Anyone who successfully sues an abortion provider under this law could receive at least $10,000. And to prepare for it, Texas Right to Life has set up a so-called “whistleblower” website where people can submit anonymous information about anyone they believe is breaking the law. Tuesday`s decision, however, is only an interim solution that will extend access to abortion in the state by up to two months.
Nonprofit abortion funds that help people travel out of state have already stopped their work for fear of possible lawsuits under pre-Roe laws. Lawmakers in Texas and other conservative states have discussed finding ways to ban interstate travel for abortions. “People say certain things in their zeal about abortion that are just not very democratic, and there`s no other polite way to say it,” Coale said. How many visits should I make to an abortion provider? Texas law requires you to make at least two trips to the abortion provider. The state requires you to have an ultrasound and receive state-prescribed documentation about medical risks, adoption alternatives, and stages of fetal development. (Some of the information in these documents is incorrect.) The state also requires you to wait 24 hours after receiving the ultrasound and documents required by the state before having your abortion. This 24-hour wait can be lifted if you live 100 miles or more away from the nearest abortion provider. Do I have to see the same doctor at every visit? Yes. Texas law requires that the doctor who performs your ultrasound be the same doctor who performs your abortion.
The state also requires you to make follow-up appointments with the same doctor. This means that you cannot get your ultrasound from a doctor and then go to another doctor for the actual procedure. If you need an out-of-state abortion, we can help you find a provider and resources to make it happen, including financial assistance. You can also visit www.iNeedanA.com to learn more about your options, or click here to see a map of Planned Parenthood health centers that offer abortions in other states. The law was “triggered” when the U.S. Supreme Court rendered its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case, Roe v. Wade and allowed states to establish their own abortion laws. In a federal lawsuit challenging this, a coalition of abortion providers and reproductive rights groups said the law “grants a bounty to people who offer or support abortion and invites random strangers to sue them.” The Supreme Court ruled Friday, Roe v. Wade, which allows states to establish their own laws governing abortion procedures.
Texas has a “trigger law” that bans all abortions from the time of fertilization, starting 30 days after the Supreme Court`s decision, which is usually issued about a month after the initial notice. A: YES. Planned Parenthood is here to give you access to health care, no matter what. We can determine if you are within the new legal limit to provide care under this law. If you don`t and we can`t provide you with abortion treatment at our health center, we can still help you get resources to get out-of-state care, including financial support. Last updated: December 10, 2021 If you are in Texas and need an abortion, visit the following websites for logistical and/or financial assistance: Where in Texas can I get an abortion? Due to regulations such as those enacted under House Bill 2 in 2013, the number of abortion providers in Texas has dropped significantly. The following cities have one or more abortion providers: Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, El Paso, Houston, McAllen, Waco, and San Antonio. For a full list of abortion providers in Texas, see: www.needabortion.org.
With $10,000 per abortion at stake, Coale said, there is a significant incentive for individuals to try to identify people who have had an abortion — and get them into the criminal justice system in the process. There are also looming legal questions about how these laws align with other state abortion laws. Pre-Roe regulations, which date back to Texas` first penal code in 1857, provide for two to five years in prison, compared to five years in prison in the prohibition of triggering. “This has never been done in Texas, but the legislature can probably at least get things done,” Dallas attorney David Coale said. “Then there are prosecutors with conflicting opinions on the same facts, and then you really have a zoo.” State law assumes that all persons who want an abortion are minors until proven otherwise, and imposes the burden of proof on the doctor performing the abortion to require proof of identity and age. Only certain pieces of identification meet this government requirement. To see what identification is accepted, please click here. Texans who want access to abortion at any stage of pregnancy will have to cross state borders, look beyond the U.S.-Mexico border or operate outside the law, while others will carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Conservative lawmakers have already announced that they intend to propose laws allowing prosecutors to take abortion cases outside their own jurisdiction if the local district attorney fails to do so.
The U.S. Supreme Court`s ruling Friday that there is no constitutional right to abortion will radically change the reproductive health landscape in Texas. Reproductive rights advocates expect more Texans to travel to Mexico to get abortion-inducing drugs they can`t legally get at home. The Tribune spoke to someone who did so earlier this year. Is abortion covered by my health insurance? No, unless you have separate abortion insurance. Starting at 1. December 2017, Texas law prohibits insurers from covering abortion as part of your comprehensive health insurance unless you need an abortion to protect against death or serious bodily harm. Military insurance and Medicaid only cover abortion in cases of rape, incest, or life-threatening conditions.
“The trigger law really targets the abortion provider, whereas the old law. also has this additional basis of complicit responsibility for the person who raises the funds to be able to perform an abortion,” Rhodes said. However, the law is vague as to what this really means. Editor`s note: On Friday, the Supreme Court allowed the Texas law to be challenged without stopping the law in the meantime. Read the court`s current opinion on the abortion law here. Is it true that Texas has some of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States? Yes. Texas` abortion laws are among the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association oppose some Texas abortion laws because excessive restrictions on abortion care put patients` health at risk. Because of these laws, there are not enough abortion clinics to adequately treat people in the second most populous state in the country. About 900,000 people who can reproduce in Texas live more than 150 miles from an abortion clinic. When the law came into effect, abortions were halved.
The Texas Tribune has been reporting on the fight for abortion rights for years. Here`s what you need to know about the decision and how it will affect Texans. Last year, the legislature passed so-called trigger legislation, which passed 30 days after the fall of Roe v. would take effect by the Supreme Court. Wade, which criminalizes abortions. What are my options for an abortion? Your doctor will perform the abortion either by giving you a pill to take or by performing a procedure in the doctor`s office.