Like women in the other 49 states, women in Texas have questions about how the June 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade will affect them. Keep reading for the significance of this Supreme Court ruling, and how this affects abortion access in the state of Texas.
What Does It Mean That Roe v. Wade Was Overturned?
In 1973, Roe v. Wade established abortion as a constitutionally protected right, which gave it a federally protected status for almost five decades.
However, when the Supreme Court revisited this case in the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, they concluded that this ruling was incorrect, and that the right to an abortion could not be found in the original intent of the U.S. Constitution.
This means that abortion is no longer a federally granted right and state laws will now determine access.
How Does This Impact Texas?
Many states already had “trigger laws” in place in the event that Roe was ever overturned. Texas was one of these states, with the law going into effect 30 days post-Roe, that would ban abortion with the exception of life endangerment.
Before that, abortion was restricted as soon as a heartbeat was detected, typically around 6 weeks gestational age.
Are Other Rights or Healthcare Access Impacted?
This ruling does affect abortion access in the state of Texas for elective abortions. However, this does not prevent a woman from receiving care if she has a high-risk pregnancy, an ectopic pregnancy, or a natural miscarriage or stillbirth.
The statute does include an exception if the pregnancy proves to threaten the life of the woman. While elective abortions will be prohibited, the Texas state legislature gives no indication that women will be unable to receive care for pregnancy complications.
Pregnancy Services in West Houston
At our center, we offer no-cost pregnancy services, such as ultrasounds. We recommend ultrasounds because they can help confirm how far along you are, as well as the location of your pregnancy. It is important to know the location to determine whether your pregnancy is ectopic.
Ectopic pregnancies are located outside of the uterus and require immediate medical attention.
Contact us today to set up your free and confidential appointment!