A: YES. Planned Parenthood is here to give you access to health care, no matter what. We can determine if you are within the new legal limit to provide care under this law. If you don`t and we can`t provide you with abortion treatment at our health center, we can still help you get resources to get out-of-state care, including financial support. State law assumes that all persons who want an abortion are minors until proven otherwise, and imposes the burden of proof on the doctor performing the abortion to require proof of identity and age. Only certain pieces of identification meet this government requirement. To see what identification is accepted, please click here. What are my options for an abortion? Your doctor will perform the abortion either by giving you a pill to take or by performing a procedure in the doctor`s office. Both options are effective and safe forms of abortion. Your choice depends on a number of factors, including your preference for the stage of your pregnancy and the options available with your abortion provider. Talk to your doctor about the option that works best for you. By the late 1800s, every state in the Union, except Louisiana, had therapeutic exceptions in their legal abortion prohibitions.

[23] In the 19th century, state legislators banned abortion aimed to protect the life of the mother given the number of deaths caused by abortions; State governments considered themselves concerned about the lives of their citizens. [23] In 1854, Texas passed an abortion law that made performing an abortion, except in the case of preserving the life of the mother, a criminal offense punishable by two to five years in prison. The law, found in sections 4512.1 to 4512.4, provided that anyone who provided medication or other means to assist in performing an abortion was an accomplice who could also be charged. [24] According to the NCBI, women of lower socioeconomic status and women of color in the United States have higher abortion rates. Abortion opponents argue that abortion providers are exploiting these women, which is why regulations are needed to protect them. There are many reasons for the inequality of abortion between different races and socioeconomic classes in the United States, such as lack of access to contraception, lack of education, and lack of access to health care. [20] A fetal heart rate law had already been introduced by Phil King in Texas on July 18, 2013, after Rick Perry signed Texas Senate Bill 5. [36] The legislation was not passed. [37] Supporters of Texas Senate Bill 5, which required abortion clinics to comply with regulations for ambulatory surgical centers and abortion clinicians who have hospital licensing privileges, said the bill improved health care for women and babies. Opponents of the law said it created unnecessary regulations to reduce access to abortion. At the time the law was signed in 2013, five of the state`s forty-two abortion clinics met the requirements of the law. The courts had blocked the application of similar laws in other states and ongoing lawsuits against their constitutionality.

[38] A federal district judge declared this law unconstitutional, finding that the requirement to grant privileges was an unreasonable burden on a person seeking an abortion; [39] However, this decision was overturned by the Fifth District Court of Appeals, resulting in the immediate closure of all but seven abortion clinics in the state, all located in urban areas. [40] For patients in Rio Grande Valley, Texas, the nearest clinic is now 300 miles away. [41] In their dissent, the Court`s three liberal justices argue that the judges who ruled Roe recognized the moral issue by allowing states to regulate abortions on the basis of viability. In 2017, 89 percent of U.S. counties did not have clinics offering abortions. About 38% of women of childbearing age lived in these countries and would have had to travel elsewhere for abortions. [1] Of the patients who had an abortion in 2014, one-third had to travel more than 25 miles to reach a facility. [2] Is abortion legal in Texas? Yes. You have the constitutionally protected right to decide if and when you become parents, including the right to terminate a pregnancy. While Texas can`t ban abortions completely, the state can impose some restrictions.

Restrictions on abortions in Texas generally make it more difficult or more expensive. As of September 1, 2021, the state of Texas has adopted a new restriction on abortion. Known as Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), this law limits our ability to provide abortion care in Texas beyond about 6 weeks of pregnancy, and sometimes even earlier. We are fighting this law in court, and we are always here for you. SEPPER: Given the existence of a medical abortion, anyone who gives a medicated abortion pill to another person would be subject to this criminal prohibition. Free birth control correlates with teenage girls having fewer pregnancies and fewer abortions. A 2014 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found such a link. At the same time, a 2011 study by the Center for Reproductive Rights and Ibis Reproductive Health found that states with more abortion restrictions have higher maternal mortality rates, higher rates of uninsured pregnant women, higher infant and child mortality rates, and higher rates of infant and child mortality. higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse among adolescents and lower rates of cancer screening. [18] Earlier this year, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8, which came into effect on September 1, 2021. The law prohibits abortion at the sixth week of pregnancy, even in cases of rape and incest.

The ACLU of Texas and its partners are currently challenging this unconstitutional law in court. To keep Texans informed of their abortion rights, we will update this information as the trial goes to court. Please check back regularly. The U.S. Supreme Court recognized the constitutional right to abortion in Roe v. Wade in 1973 and affirmed this right in subsequent decisions. Q: If this law is in place, can I still have an abortion? In 2005, the 79th legislature enacted several laws related to abortion. Another imposed funding restrictions on family planning clinics as part of legislative efforts to force the closure of family planning clinics in the state. The state has created a government-funded program called the Alternatives to Abortion Program.