The parking lot in front of a Fort Worth abortion provider was mostly empty Wednesday as a law went into effect banning most abortions in Texas.
Four minutes to midnight, Whole Woman’s Health of Fort Worth performed his last abortion. The abortion provider has four clinics in Texas with 67 abortions at its Fort Worth location on Tuesday and more than 50 follow-up appointments.
Marva Sadler, senior director of clinical services for Whole Woman’s Health, said they are required to see every woman before 11:59 p.m. Tuesday. Several were turned away on Wednesday, Sadler said.
“It was absolutely chaotic. It was desperation. We really tried to figure out what we could do to minimize the trauma for our patients, ”she said. “After the day was over, we felt a sense of victory, but it was immediately replaced with the thought that today we must step in and enforce a law that we disagree with.”
Senate Bill 8, signed by Republican Governor Greg Abbott in May and known as the Heartbeat Act, bans abortion once healthcare professionals can detect a heartbeat in the fetus. This is usually around six weeks and before most women know they are pregnant, which is an estimated 85% of all cases in Texas. It went into effect on Wednesday when the Supreme Court fell silent on an urgency complaint to put the law on hold.
“I could probably come up with a few adjectives, but if I had to choose one, it would be sad,” said Sadler, referring to the new law. “Sad and unfair. These patients are trapped. They are treated as if they have no feeling for themselves and what is best for them and their families. “
The only exception to the law, according to Texas’s Kimberlyn Schwartz, would be Right to Life if a woman’s life was at risk. The state’s oldest and largest pro-life organization helped draft the bill. Schwartz said they will wait for the Supreme Court response before declaring it a “full celebration mode,” but they are being encouraged.
“Other states have reached out to Texas Right to Life and asked how I can implement this policy in my state? Depending on what the Supreme Court is doing here, we will again be able and ready to repeat our success in other states, ”said Schwartz.
What sets Texas law apart from others is its enforcement method. Rather than having officials responsible for enforcing the law, private individuals have the power to sue abortion providers and anyone involved in promoting abortion. However, Schwartz said a woman seeking an abortion is not a criminal offense.
“We see this woman as a victim of society, telling her that if you don’t kill your children, you cannot be successful, that you are not enough, that you have to kill your baby to make your dreams come true. We think that’s wrong, ”she said. “What we’ve seen in the past 24 hours is women who tried to go to the abortion clinic and have that abortion performed are turned away. They turn to the pro-life pregnancy centers where they get you love and support and free sonograms and free shelter when they have nowhere else to go. “
The organization has set up a website where citizens can report evidence of illegal abortions that they believe may take place. Opponents of the law, including Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health, argue that the law creates a “bounty” system.
“A system of vigilante justice that can challenge anyone who supports access to abortion,” Hagstrom Miller said on Wednesday. “We all know and love someone who has had an abortion in our lives or needs an abortion at some point. I would ask you, is that the kind of environment we want someone we love in? “
Dallas-based appellate attorney David Coale said while the Supreme Court was not bound by a deadline for its response, it was aware of the significant implications of the law.
“A lot of people just need to know what to do on either side,” Coale said. “Texas abortion providers need to know how to run their business. People who want to file these lawsuits want to go to the courthouse, but they don’t want to waste a lot of time doing something that goes nowhere. “
Texas lawmakers are also leading the way in an ongoing special session with proposed new restrictions on drug abortion, a pill-based method that accounts for about 40% of abortions in the United States
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