Abortion is still an option, despite harmful restrictions
Editor’s Note: This is a guest opinion that has been submitted by a member of the Rice community. The views expressed in this opinion are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of the Thresher or its editorial board. All guest opinions are fact-checked to the best of our ability and edited for clarity and conciseness by Thresher editors.
Preventable deaths, rising maternal mortality rates, threats to contraception and state-sponsored deception. This is the reality in Texas, two years after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Since our letter to the editor in 2023, more data has come to light, demonstrating the grave consequences of obstructing reproductive care. We must resist becoming desensitized to the horrifying realities of abortion restrictions and share relevant, in-state abortion resources with our communities.
The Texas abortion ban claims to include exceptions for saving the life of the pregnant person. This promise has proven hollow.
In recent months, ProPublica reported the deaths of Porsha Ngumezi, Nevaeh Crain and Josseli Barnica, all denied immediate, life-saving miscarriage care as a result of the Texas abortion ban. In an open letter addressing policymakers, 111 Texan OB-GYNs referred to these deaths as “likely preventable,” arguing that abortion restrictions impede doctors’ ability to provide the standard of care. Under threat of prosecution, doctors hesitate to provide medically necessary surgical abortions — even though delays in care can lead to infection, sepsis or hemorrhagic shock.
Anti-abortion rhetoric calls itself “pro-life,” but abortion bans are ending lives. Governments are ignoring medical expertise in favor of politicizing healthcare, and pregnant patients are paying the price.
These are not isolated cases. Nationally, the Associated Press found that over 100 pregnant patients in medical distress have been turned away or negligently treated since 2022. Recent data on Texas shows that maternal mortality has increased by 56%, an unprecedented pattern largely attributed to the state’s 2021 abortion ban.
Abortion restrictions curtail access to preventive reproductive healthcare. After the overturn of Roe, the rate of oral and emergency contraceptive prescription fills in Texas dropped by 28% and 47% respectively due to abortion clinic closures and confusion among patients about the law. As of 2023, 43% of women living in states with abortion bans were unsure whether emergency contraception was legal in their state. The opacity of the laws creates a chilling effect that bars people from exercising the rights they have left.
Beyond launching attacks on legitimate medical practices, Texas finances misinformation and deception. Each year, the state funnels approximately $112 million into anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, 22 of which are in Houston. These centers present facades of medical credibility in order to lie to their clients about their ultrasound results and pregnancy options. Anti-abortion states direct taxpayer dollars toward organizations that take advantage of vulnerable individuals to promote biased, faith-based agendas.
It is easy to feel like there is nothing we can do. The impending Trump presidency, grim stories of maternal deaths and challenges to contraception have created pervasive feelings of helplessness and despair.
Our politicians are infringing on our intimate healthcare decisions by threatening our doctors. As reproductive-aged people in Texas, we need to know how to navigate the available resources. If we can no longer get abortions by talking to our OB-GYNs, we can get them by talking to each other.
Providers, researchers and activists continue to support those who need reproductive care. AidAccess is a network of providers that mail FDA-approved abortion pills to all fifty states. Plan C Pills is an advocacy campaign that provides reliable guidance on at-home abortion. The Lilith Fund and Buckle Bunnies are Texas groups that subsidize out-of-state procedures.
On campus, too, students are banding together to promote reproductive rights. The Rice Women’s Resource Center and Planned Parenthood Generation Action promote reproductive and sexual health by providing free contraception to the student body. Rice Students for Reproductive Justice is a newly-formed group dedicated to combating stigma and advocating abortion resources.
Now is the time to get involved in abortion activism. Educate your community on the consequences of abortion restrictions. Share websites like INeedAnA, a national map of abortion providers and access coalitions. Support your local abortion funds, which work to decrease financial barriers to healthcare and out-of-state travel. Engage with campus organizations that promote reproductive rights by following RWRC, PPGen, and Rice Students for Reproductive Justice on Instagram and participating in their initiatives.
Reproductive restrictions affect us on the most personal levels, but we must fight back collectively. Under laws that foster mistrust and isolation, caring for one another is the most powerful thing we can do.
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