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Austin, Texas – When Trisha* discovered she was pregnant in May last year, the nearest abortion provider was 482 kilometers (300 miles) away in Fort Worth, Texas.
The 27-year-old girl told Al Jazeera that she was unwilling to discuss her options with anyone in her conservative hometown or family-so she drove to an abortion clinic when she was almost eight weeks pregnant.
After spending $150 on gasoline to reach Fort Worth, she cried alone in the parking lot of the Whole Woman’s Health building, and then walked in to seek surgery.
She said: “Knowing that someone in my community and my family will dehumanize women by seeking these services without understanding the situation breaks my heart.” “There are others in fear and uncertainty. Situation, without the privileges and resources to find a way out.”
Now, after Texas passes through the U.S. The strictest abortion lawTereza said that if she needed an abortion when the legislation was already in the book, she might have to make a different choice. “Between having to spend more money to travel out of the state and get a hotel room, plus recruiting someone to go with me, I might try to induce at home,” she said.
‘I panicked’
The Texas State Assembly passed Senate Bill 8 in May, and supporters called it “a measure to protect the life of a fetus.”
Many advocates of reproductive rights believe that the law will be obstructed in court, just like similar legislation in the past.But the U.S. Supreme Court Refuse to take action In August and October, the court issued an injunction to suspend the law. Overthrow quickly After Texas called for its restoration.
This means that the legislation effectively prohibits abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and allows any citizen to sue anyone who provides or helps abortion services. Despite this, the broad ban on abortion services has not prevented patients from seeking help.
Many people still show up at the clinic, assuming that the media is exaggerating or they misunderstood the law. Marva Sadler, Director of Clinical Operations at Whole Woman’s Health, said Whole Woman’s Health is an abortion provider that operates four clinics in Texas.
But clinics bound by the new law were forced to shut out people. “They have a glimmer of hope that we can help them,” Sadler told Al Jazeera. “There was a moment of shock, not believing that this was really one thing-and then panic about what to do next.”
Jessy Lieck, a 30-year-old law student in Lubbock, Texas, felt similarly.
“After SB8 came into effect, I was panicked because I believe many people have done this before,” Lieck said. “If my birth control measures fail, or if I have been raped and six weeks have passed, I will be forced to be pregnant with the child of the rapist, which is very painful.”
Orange reproductive rights activists and blue anti-reproductive rights advocates rally in the rotunda of the Texas State Capitol in 2013 [File: Mike Stone/Reuters]For years, Lieck has been seeking tubal ligation surgery to prevent pregnancy, but even this kind of surgery is difficult to perform in Texas, where doctors told her that they prefer to operate on elderly women who already have children. Facing SB8, her search became urgent. She found a doctor who approved the operation, which is scheduled to be performed in early December.
She said: “I admit that I have the privilege of good health insurance, financial stability and educational resources obtained through college.” “Others are not so lucky.”
Series of laws
SB8 is just the latest law restricting abortion in Texas.
In 2012, the state legislature mandated that patients undergo an ultrasound examination and wait 24 hours before the patient can formally choose the procedure. A year later, it requested a formal legal agreement with local hospitals on the operation of abortion clinics, forcing most of the state’s facilities to close. In 2017, it banned most major health insurance policies from covering abortion services.
But the reproductive rights dispute in Texas heralds A larger national struggleOpponents of abortion services have long stated that they intend to overturn the Roe v Wade case, which was a 1973 US Supreme Court ruling that established women’s right to terminate their pregnancy.
When former US President Donald Trump appointed three conservative judges to the High Court during his tenure, he proposed the idea of abolishing Roe v. Wade.
But even in Texas, where the current struggle around reproductive rights dates back to a few years, until August 31, this idea seems far-fetched to activists. That night, Diana Gomez sat there refreshing the website of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Gomez is the communications director of Progress Texas, an advocacy organization. She has seen the SB8 pass the committee to pass the state legislature in May, but she said she expects the Supreme Court to take action before the bill goes into effect, just like other states—level Abortion restrictions.
Gomez told Al Jazeera that regarding SB8’s entry into force, “Once midnight comes, this will be the first incident in which the Supreme Court has not set Roe v Wade as a precedent.” “This is the first time that Roe v Wade will be overthrown in a potentially terrible future. One of a peak.”
In December, the country’s Supreme Court will hear A case in Mississippi Regarding the ban on abortion after 15 weeks may overturn Roe v Wade and open the way for other states to ban abortion.
However, regardless of the decision in this case, the success of SB8 may inspire other states to advance legislation that prevents or restricts abortion services. One such bill has already been advanced in Florida. Gomez said: “It’s not just Texas that wants to pass this, it’s a concerted effort.”
Higher cost
Currently, Texans seeking abortion services must rely on about 10 non-profit organizations that provide financial assistance to help them travel abroad. But the number of requests exceeds the processing capacity of many groups.
Fund Texas Choice is one such organization, which stated that it will receive 10 to 15 calls every week from people seeking financial assistance to stop pregnancy before the Texas law goes into effect. After September 1, the number of calls per day soared to 15.
People take part in the women’s march at the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas [Stephen Spillman/AP Photo]Previously, the organization provided 500 to thousands of dollars to each patient for services. Now, everyone needs an additional approximately $1,000 to pay for their travel, accommodation, and food for their out-of-state trips.
“Demand has increased, and obviously, we cannot supplement this demand,” said Anna Rupani, executive director of Fund Texas Choice. “That is not sustainable.”
She said that more than 65% of Fund Texas Choice customers are people of color, and they are often economically disadvantaged. This means that they face greater economic challenges in raising children or going abroad to end their pregnancy.
“Most people seeking abortion services are people who are already struggling to make ends meet, usually black, indigenous and colored people,” Rupani said.
Aimee Arambide, executive director of Avow Texas, a reproductive rights advocacy group, agrees. “With the law, coupled with chaos, and lack of resources, thousands of people in Texas will be forced to get pregnant against their will,” she said.
*Due to privacy issues, the interviewee used a pseudonym to talk to Al Jazeera
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