The number of abortions performed in Texas has fallen by 60 percent in the first month after the strictest abortion law in the US for decades was introduced, writes the news agency AP.
The new abortion law that was introduced on 1 September 2021 refuses women to have an abortion if the heart of the fetus has started beating. Fetal heart activity usually begins after six weeks of pregnancy.
No exceptions are made for pregnant women who have been raped and incest.
Safe abortion miles away
In August 2021, more than 5,400 abortions were performed in the United States. In September, after the new abortion law came into force, around 2,200 abortions were performed.
The recent figures give a more complete picture of the sharp fall in the number of patient admissions in the last five months.
Among other things, the new abortion law has led to women living in Texas having to travel hundreds of kilometers to clinics in neighboring states if abortions are to be performed legally and safely.
The figures were released by the Texas Department of Health and Human Services in early February.
Just the beginning
The abortion clinic Planned Parenthood believes that the new figures indicate the beginning of the law’s destructive effect.
– PLANNED PARENTHOOD: The CEO of the organization Planned Parenthood, Alexis McGill, speaks during a demonstration against the new abortion law in Texas. Photo: Alexander Drago / Reuters
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– Texas already has too many restrictions related to abortion, which makes it difficult for women to access safe, legal abortion in the state. The law also encourages ordinary residents of Texas to sue clinics that offer abortion, the clinic writes on its official website.
By law, citizens have the right to receive $ 10,000 or more in bounty if they file a successful lawsuit.
The lawsuit must then be directed at someone who has either performed or has helped a woman in performing a successful abortion after a heart rhythm has been registered in the fetus.
Several clinics in Texas are now afraid the new legislation will remain as it is today for a long time to come.
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