faced with the ban on abortion in Texas, the distress of women and the anger of the few caregivers who continue to help them

Texas is one of the American states that has completely banned the use of abortion. Only three clinics continue to help women obtain abortions elsewhere and provide pre- and post-abortion care.

“Vote, your rights depend on it.” On the walls of a health center in Houston, Texas, this message reflects what has changed for women in the United States over the past year and a half. It refers to the restriction of access to voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion) in the country since June 24, 2022, when the US Supreme Court ruled that the United States Constitution does not guarantee the right to abortion.

Since then, 14 states have completely banned the use of abortion, including Texas. In the second most populous US state – 30 million inhabitants – around 25 centers that performed abortions have completely closed their doors. There are only three clinics left that continue to help women have abortions elsewhere and provide pre- and post-abortion care.

In Houston, patients are received in a gentle setting, in a cozy atmosphere. Around 200 women undergo abortions each month, a drop in the ocean when we know that there were previously up to 3,000 abortions per month in Houston. “They arrive petrified, they don’t know where to go, they have the impression that living in Texas, it’s illegal for them to go and have an abortion elsewhere.says Glenda, who goes through the ultrasounds. We have a lot of crying patients. It’s difficult.” Their health, even their lives, is threatened.

“Horrible” consequences

Hospital doctors now fear having to help women developing complications during their pregnancy. “These are horrible consequences. Four women with ectopic pregnancies were turned away from hospital, told to wait and come back”revealed Kathy Kleinfeld, clinic administrator. This is a situation “revolting”which encourages him all the more to continue his pre- and post-operative care.

But the fight must also be fought at the polls. “We say it all the time to our patients who ask us how we got here. We explain to them that it’s because Trump was president and he appointed ultra-conservative judges to the Supreme Court“, remember Kathy Kleinfeld.