The Supreme Court’s Dobbs vs. Jackson decision brought about a fundamental change in the practice of abortion. In accordance with the previous decision, Roe vs. Wade from 1973, abortion was a constitutionally protected right under the "right to privacy.” Dobbs vs. Jackson reversed that decision. Now, abortion regulations fall under the legislation of each state.
The Lone Star State passed the Texas Heartbeat Act in 2021. This legislation prohibits abortion after the detection of embryonic or fetal heart activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of pregnancy. It triggered a series of provisions in anticipation for the reversal of Roe vs. Wade due to the new Supreme Court decision.
Law dating back to 1925
A much earlier law, from 1925, has been effective in prohibiting abortion, but it had been suspended when Roe vs. Wade passed. Ken Paxton, Texas Attorney General, stated that after the Dobbs vs. Jackson decision, the rule would go back into effect.
When Dobbs vs. Jackson passed, the old law did in fact go back into effect without possible legal opposition. As a result of this law, the number of abortions performed in the state has decreased. Companies performing abortions ceased their activities immediately.
The Washington Examiner accessed the preliminary statistics for the number of abortions in the state and revealed that 68 abortions were performed in July, compared to 2,596 in June. This represents a decrease of 97%.
"A significant drop off"
The Director of Communications for the National Right to Life Committee, Laura Echevarria, told The Washington Examiner, “I think that part of that was the confusion afterward, but we're also seeing that the law in Texas took effect, and when it did, Texas was seeing a significant drop off in the number of abortions that were being performed.”
The 2021 law includes penalties of up to life imprisonment for abortions beyond the sixth week of pregnancy.
From January to July 2022, 17,194 abortions have been performed, which according to WE is about half the number of procedures that ended the life of the unborn in the same period of 2021.
