The Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported a significant decline in the number of abortions in 2022 compared to the year prior.
It reported that 60% fewer abortions took place in 2022 than in 2021, which could be attributed to the implementation of new laws within the state, according to The Texan. These numbers come following the enactment of SB 8, known as the Heartbeat Act, which was triggered following the 2022 opinion issued by the U.S. Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade.
Under this act, a physician is not permitted to perform an abortion once fetal cardiac activity is detected with an ultrasound, which usually occurs around six weeks after a woman becomes pregnant.
However, an abortion can be permitted if the pregnancy “poses a serious risk of substantial impairment of a major bodily function,” with the bill also stating that the physician must attempt to save the fetus as well, according to Axios.
John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, argued that the Texas Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report was good news and showed that the Heartbeat Act was working as planned.
“We celebrate the numbers from HHS, knowing they represent countless Texans who are still alive today because of pro-life laws,” he said, as reported by The Texan.
Support for the law has come from many within the state, including Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), who claimed that a “heartbeat is the universal sign of life.”
“If a Texan’s heartbeat is detected, his or her life will be protected,” he said, according to The Texas Tribune.
Still, others have voiced their displeasure with the implementation of the abortion ban.
Summer Sherburne Hawkins, an associate professor at Boston College’s School of Social Work, performed a study on maternal mortality rates for women, which alleged that gestational limits on abortion and the closure of Planned Parenthood clinics raise such rates by 38%, according to Time.
“Based on our research, restricting abortion based on gestational age, as has been done in Texas, will likely have detrimental effects on women’s health,” she claimed. “It could have increases in maternal mortality.”
Additionally, a poll conducted by the Texas Freedom Network found that six in 10 Texas voters support abortion being “available in all or most cases,” while just 11% of respondents were in favor of a total abortion ban, as reported by NPR.
The most recent development on the topic of abortion has come as Texas resident Kate Cox attempted to seek out an abortion procedure due to her fetus being diagnosed with trisomy 18. Cox filed a lawsuit against the State of Texas and the Center for Reproductive Rights.
The disorder is a rare chromosomal issue that causes a miscarriage or stillbirth in roughly 95% of pregnancies, as previously reported by The Dallas Express. Infants born with the disorder have a 90% death rate within one year. A few patients with the disorder may live into adulthood with extensive medical care.
In addition to concerns about the health of her fetus, Cox stated in the lawsuit that she has already had C-section deliveries for her first two children, and a potential third operation could pose a serious risk to her health.
While a judge previously decided that Cox could seek out the abortion, the Texas Supreme Court blocked the decision since it did not believe that the condition posed a risk serious enough to allow for the Heartbeat Act exception to be implemented.
“No one disputes that Ms. Cox’s pregnancy has been extremely complicated. Any parents would be devastated to learn of their unborn child’s trisomy 18 diagnosis,” wrote the court, per The Texas Tribune. “Some difficulties in pregnancy, however, even serious ones, do not pose the heightened risks to the mother the exception encompasses.”
Cox proceeded to travel out of the state to have the procedure performed, leading some to debate whether an abortion travel ban would be the next form of action taken in Texas.
The City of Amarillo, which is just a short drive to New Mexico, will address a proposed ban that would prevent citizens from using the city’s roads to assist a pregnant person in traveling to obtain an abortion, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
