Abortions in Texas declined by 60% in the first month after a law restricting the procedure went into effect, according to data released by the state’s Health and Human Services.
Roughly 2,200 abortions were reported by providers in the state in September 2021. The number is substantially less than the over 5,400 abortions that were conducted in August.
Under SB 8, abortions are prohibited after a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks, and there are no exceptions for rape or incest. The Texas law allows individuals to bring a civil action against anyone who performs an abortion.
The controversial law received mixed reviews, with abortion critics celebrating its passage, while those who argue in favor of abortion rights say it infringes on the protections enshrined in Roe v. Wade. It also led to a legal challenge by abortion providers.
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“Americans who oppose abortion should take heart — and take notes — from Texas today,” Kristan Hawkins, the president of Students for Life, wrote for USA Today in September.
“As of today, abortion is no longer accessible for most Texans because of S.B. 8, a new law that just went into effect. We’re doing everything we can to change this,” Planned Parenthood tweeted after the bill’s passage.
As of today, abortion is no longer accessible for most Texans because of S.B. 8, a new law that just went into effect. We’re doing everything we can to change this. Learn more and find out what you can do: https://t.co/nxer6Kmz7z pic.twitter.com/DPxvbhyCsh
— Planned Parenthood (@PPFA) September 1, 2021
The Supreme Court decided in December not to block the Texas law while it allows abortion providers to proceed with their lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a ban on most abortions after six weeks of gestation.
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In January, a three-judge panel on the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sent the legal fight over the Texas law to the state Supreme Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition asking to send the case back to a district judge in Travis County, Texas, who had once blocked the law.
