Two years ago, if a Texan needed an abortion, they’d have to travel an average of 44 miles to get one. Today, that number is 497.
Even before the fall of Roe last summer, Texas had one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country. During the 87th legislative session, Texas Republicans passed Senate Bill 8, which prohibited abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy. The overturn of Roe v. Wade in June 2022 led to a near-total statewide ban on abortion at any point during a pregnancy, except in cases where providing an abortion could save the life of the mother. The ban does not include an exception for victims of rape or incest, and doctors stress that the law’s harsh penalties and vague language make the medical exception hard to interpret.
In the two years since our state’s last legislative session, millions of Texans have lost access to abortion care. But those restrictive laws have also caused ripple effects, and obstructed doctors’ ability to care for patients experiencing pregnancy complications. As the Texas Legislature returns for its first session post Roe, state Representative Donna Howard, the Austin Democrat who chairs the Women’s Health Caucus, says her number-one priority is access to healthcare and damage control. She recently spoke with the Texas Observer’s Sara Hutchinson.
