Texas abortion law leads to '50% decrease in the number of patients who are able to have abortions'

Record ID: 1677124

  • Title: Texas abortion law leads to '50% decrease in the number of patients who are able to have abortions'
  • Date: 8th June 2022
  • Summary: AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2022) (REUTERS) DOWNTOWN AUSTIN, TX, STATE CAPITOL BUILDING IN THE DISTANCE UNITED STATES, TEXAS FLAGS ADORNING CAPITOL BUILDING VARIOUS OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN/COWBOY BOOT SHOPS/STREET ART (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: “Here in Texas, we've had a couple of restrictive policies here in the last year that affect access to abortion care. What that has resulted in on the ground, based on some of our research, the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, has been that we've seen about a 50% decrease in the number of patients who are able to have abortions in Texas.” VARIOUS OF DOWNTOWN AUSTIN/BOOTS SHOPS/PEOPLE SHOPPING, WALKING ON SIDEWALK, BUSINESS SIGNS AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 23, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE’S DUE PROCESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY, ROSANN MARIAPPURAM, SAYING: “So S.B. 8 [Senate Bill 8, which the state of Texas implemented in September 2021] banned abortion at around six weeks into a pregnancy, though the language of the bill said that it was around a heartbeat, which is factually inaccurate. At six weeks into a pregnancy, it's not possible to find a heartbeat. Instead there are sometimes fetal heart tones. But at that point in a pregnancy, many people don't even know they're pregnant. So I think a lot of the focus of that bill was to say we're not banning abortion, but in reality it is a full abortion ban for many people who don't realize they're pregnant until past six weeks.” AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2022) (REUTERS) MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2022) (REUTERS) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, WALKING INTO OFFICE BOOKCASE IN DR. TAXTON'S OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: “Who is affected most by these policies are the same groups of people who are affected by, you know, many different policies that restrict access to health care. So communities, bipoc communities, people who are poor, teenagers, people living in rural communities, people with low social capital.” AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 23, 2022) (REUTERS) JANE’S DUE PROCESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY, ROSANN MARIAPPURAM, WALKING INTO OFFICE VARIOUS OF MARIAPPURAM SITTING AT COMPUTER WORKING VARIOUS OF SIGN READING ‘ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE / JANE’S DUE PROCESS’ (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE’S DUE PROCESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY, ROSANN MARIAPPURAM, SAYING: “Before S.B. 8, we usually helped about 30 youth a month with abortion care. Over the course of a year, that's like 360 teens, maybe one every day. Since S.B. 8, our numbers dropped dramatically. Our hotline was almost completely silent for the first week of S.B. 8. I think teens were terrified and they didn't want to risk reaching out because they thought abortion was illegal. So since S.B. 8, which now has been in effect for nine months, the numbers have picked back up because we worked really hard to communicate to youth that it's safe to call us, it's safe to text us. We're back to about 30 youth a month reaching out for help. But before I would say we could help the majority of youth get abortions now maybe a handful. So even though 30 people reach out for help every month, a handful of them are actually getting their abortions and the rest are staying pregnant.” MARIAPPURAM REMOVING ITEMS FROM BOX CONTAINING PLAN B, PREGNANCY TEST STICKS, MISCELLANEOUS (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE’S DUE PROCESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY, ROSANN MARIAPPURAM, SAYING: "If you’re under 18 [in Texas] you have to get a parents or guardian’s permission to have an abortion. it used to be you could do this thing called judicial bypass. but that process involves going to court, getting an order from a judge, but all of it took time. It used to take 2-3 weeks. But if you just find out you’re pregnant at 5 weeks, that would put you past the abortion ban limit. So youth are trying to figure out they’re pregnant, get these court orders and figure it before six weeks." AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTORS OUTSIDE WHOLE WOMEN'S HEALTH OF AUSTIN, AN ABORTION CLINIC / SIGNS WITH ANTI-ABORTION MESSAGES ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTER APRIL PHILLIPS TALKING TO DRIVER SOUNDBITE) (English) CENTRAL TEXAS RIGHT TO LIFE MEMBER, ANTI-ABORTION PROTESTER, APRIL PHILLIPS, SAYING: "Science tells us conception is the beginning of life. And so what we want to do is make sure we provide that information. So I drive in about 50 miles twice a week to make sure that, that, i can offer help and resources for women. It's very important to me." VARIOUS OF WHOLE WOMAN’S HEALTH OF AUSTIN CLINIC SIGN (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: "There are pregnancies that can be, you know, affected in devastating ways, such as anomalies, where the brain doesn't develop normally or the kidneys don't develop normally. And those are pregnancies that have, you know, very poor outcomes and will very likely die soon after birth. The standard of care is to offer patients that have those diagnoses an abortion. And in Texas, we cannot offer that service." STATE CAPITOL BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN STREET NEAR STATE CAPITOL BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: “As an OB-GYN, to not be able to offer patients this health care that is extraordinarily common is really defeating and difficult.” SIGN IN STORE WINDOW READING 'ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE' SIGNS ON LAW READING 'PROTECT WOMEN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE', 'MOTHERS AGAINST GREG ABBOTT' SIGN READING 'FAITH OVER FEAR' (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: "We have seen that miscarriage care is a little bit more complicated now, and that is because the treatment options for miscarriage look very similar to what it looks like to have an abortion. So, in other words, whenever someone is diagnosed with a miscarriage, we offer medications, we offer a procedure. Those medications and that procedure are exactly the same process that is, you know, the evidence based options for early abortion care, which is the way most people have an abortion in the U.S.” AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 23, 2022) (REUTERS) US AND TEXAS FLAG BUSY CITY STREET CAPITOL LAWN CAPITOL STATUE AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 24, 2022) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, OB-GYN, DR. LAUREN THAXTON, SAYING: "We've had patients turned away from the pharmacies trying to pick up their medications. And, and then that results in patients that are, you know, kind of struggling to figure out how to pick up their medications, calling the clinic, all while they're grieving the loss of a pregnancy." AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (MAY 23, 2022) (REUTERS) SIGN READING 'ABORTION IS HEALTHCARE' ON WALL INSIDE JANE’S DUE PROCESS OFFICE AND PLAN B ONE STEP BOX 'SISTERS NOT JUST CISTERS' SIGN INSIDE JANE’S DUE PROCESS OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JANE’S DUE PROCESS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ATTORNEY, ROSANN MARIAPPURAM, SAYING: “I think my fear is that young people are some of the most burdened and targeted if there's going to be an overturn of Roe. And they're also the least empowered to fight back. My hope is that this generation does fight back and reclaim what is theirs. I have the honor of having abortion access my whole life, and I want that for young people.” VARIOUS OF CALLAHANS RANCH AND LIVESTOCK SUPPLY STORE
  • Embargoed: 22nd June 2022 11:36
  • Keywords: OB/GYN SB 8 Texas abortion judicial bypass miscarriage pregnancy restrictions teenagers travel
  • Location: AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
  • City: AUSTIN, TEXAS, UNITED STATES
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Health/Medicine,United States
  • Reuters ID: LVA001217601062022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE SENDING THIS CORRECTED VERSION OF STORY 2176-USA-ABORTION/TEXAS WAS SENT AS THERE WERE A FEW SHOTS OF HOSPITAL BUILDINGS THAT WERE INCORRECTLY IDENTIFIED. WE HAVE REMOVED THESE IMAGES AND REPLACED THEM WITH OTHERS. THE CORRECTED VIDEO IS IN THE SHOTLIST AS NUMBERS: 7, 8, 9 AND 23, 24.
    Please note: for additional abortion-related b-roll and stories, see edits 9719-USA-ABORTION/LOUISIANA and 2177-USA-ABORTION/TEXAS-PILL
    Nine months have passed since the state of Texas passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the nation last year.
    Senate Bill 8, or S.B. 8, bans abortion upon detection of fetal cardiac activity, commonly around 6 weeks of pregnancy, and allows almost anyone to sue abortion providers and others who “aid and abet” a person obtaining abortion care.
    A subsequent piece of legislation, Senate Bill 4, implemented in December 2021, bars access to abortion-inducing pills to patients who are more than 7 weeks pregnant.
    The restrictive laws have had a significant impact on the ability of women in Texas to access and receive abortions.
    “What that has resulted in on the ground, based on some of our research, the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, has been that we've seen about a 50% decrease in the number of patients who are able to have abortions in Texas,” said Dr. Laura Thaxton, a practicing OB-GYN and assistant professor at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin.
    Many women seeking abortions are choosing to travel to neighboring states.
    The Texas Policy Evaluation project found that between September and December 2021, an average of 1,391 Texans per month obtained abortions at out-of-state facilities in Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Oklahoma. In August 2021, one month before S.B. 8 went into effect, 235 Texans residents received abortion care at one of these out of state facilities.
    But not everyone can afford to travel or self-manage an abortion at home. The poor, teenagers, bipoc communities, rural residents and people with low social capital have been affected most, according to Thaxton.
    Teenagers face additional hurdles.
    In Texas, anyone under age 18 must receive parental consent and permission in order to get an abortion.
    Jane’s Due Process is an Austin-based not-for-profit that assists youths in getting judicial bypass, an order from a judge that allows a minor to get an abortion without the notification or consent of her parents.
    “It used to be you could do this thing called judicial bypass. But that process involves going to court, getting an order from a judge, but all of it took time. It used to take 2-3 weeks. But if you just find out you’re pregnant at 5 weeks, that would put you past the abortion ban limit,” explained Rosann Mariappuram, attorney and Jane’s Due Process executive director.
    “Since S.B. 8, our numbers dropped dramatically,” Mariappuram added. “Before I would say we could help the majority of youth get abortions, now maybe a handful. So even though 30 people reach out for help every month, a handful of them are actually getting their abortions and the rest are staying pregnant.”
    The impact of Texas’s abortion laws extends beyond women seeking abortions.
    "We have seen that miscarriage care is a little bit more complicated now, and that is because the treatment options for miscarriage look very similar to what it looks like to have an abortion,” Thaxton said. "We've had patients turned away from the pharmacies trying to pick up their medications.”
    The laws have also complicated the detection and treatment of potentially life-threatening problems.
    "Sometimes there are pregnancies that can be, you know, affected and devastating ways, such as anomalies, where the brain doesn't develop normally or the kidneys don't develop normally. And those are pregnancies that have been, you know, very poor outcomes and will very likely die soon after birth. The standard of care is to offer patients that have those diagnoses an abortion. And in Texas, we cannot offer that service,” Thaxton said.
    “As an OB-GYN, to not be able to offer patients this health care that is extraordinarily common is really defeating and difficult,” she added.
    A Supreme Court ruling on abortion could come as early as this month.
    If Roe v. Wade is overturned, 30 days later a “trigger law” in Texas would go into effect that would ban abortion from the moment of fertilization. No exceptions would be offered for rape, incest or conditions in utero that are likely to result in the death of the baby.
    (Production: Liliana Salgado, Christine Kiernan)
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