Abortions in Texas have been decreasing in the past few years due to House Bill 2 which mandated that abortion clinics implement increased access to medical help.
LifeNews.com reports that, though the bill was challenged and ultimately repealed due to the Supreme Court case Whole Women’s Health vs. Hellerstedt in June 2016, it drastically reduced the number of abortions and abortion clinics in Texas from the time it was made law in 2013.
HB 2 mandated that abortion facilities meet the same building standards as ambulatory surgical centers and that abortionists have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals in case of a medical emergency.
Because many abortion clinics could not meet these safety standards, they were forced to shut down. In fact, only six of the state’s 254 counties reportedly still had abortion clinics after HB 2 went into effect, according to a study done by pro-abortion researcher Dr. Daniel Grossman of the University of California--San Francisco.
Due to the shutdown of so many clinics, the distance women had to travel to reach an abortion clinic increased by 100 miles or more, ultimately causing less women to undergo abortion procedures.
The abortion rate also declined because even clinics that were able to meet the new standards and remain open were often inundated with patients and stopped scheduling new appointments.
Pro-lifers estimate that HB 2 saved tens of thousands of unborn babies’ lives.
It remains to be seen whether the repeal of the law will cause the abortion rate to increase as abortion clinics are able to reopen.
Photo courtesy: Flickr.com
Publication date: April 5, 2017
