Abortions in Texas fell 60% in the first month under the restrictive new law

By Paul J. Weber

AUSTIN, Texas.

— The number of abortions in Texas fell by 60% during the first month of the state's new termination of pregnancy law, according to new statistics that provide a more complete picture of the legal measure's immediate impact.

The nearly 2,200 abortions reported by Texas providers in September came after the new law went into effect, which bans the procedure once cardiac activity is detected in the embryo—which is typically around six weeks of gestation. gestation—and does not contemplate exceptions in cases of rape or incest.

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The data was released this month by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

In August, the number of abortions in the state exceeded 5,400.

State health authorities said they will release new data every month.

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The figures provide a more complete picture of the sharp drop in patient numbers that Texas doctors have seen at their clinics over the past five months, during which the courts have repeatedly allowed restrictions to remain in place.

This has caused some Texas patients to travel hundreds of miles to clinics in neighboring states or further afield to have the procedure done, leading to a backlog of appointments there.

Planned Parenthood issued a statement calling the figures "just the beginning of the devastating impact" of the law.

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The Texas law conflicts with landmark U.S. Supreme Court rulings that prevent a state from banning abortion in early pregnancy, but it was written in a way that has circumvented those precedents.

A Planned Parenthood building in Houston, Texas, on April 19, 2019. Godofredo A Vasquez/Chronicle via AP

Under the new Texas law, any citizen has the right to collect $10,000 or more if they successfully file a lawsuit against someone who performed or helped a woman get an abortion after the prescribed time limit, something opponents say amounts to give rewards.

So far, no abortion advocates have filed lawsuits.

With few options available to them, Texas abortion providers acknowledged that the law is likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

This comes at a time when the federal Supreme Court is willing to weaken or reverse the landmark Roe v.

Wade in a ruling that is expected in the coming months.

It comes at a time when the US Supreme Court has signaled a willingness to weaken or overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade precedent in a ruling expected later this year.

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If that happens, as many as 26 states would place restrictions on abortion access within a year if the court allowed it, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.

At least 12 states have "trigger bans," with restrictions that would automatically take effect if judges override or weaken federal protections on abortion access.