The Texas Abortion Ban

The news out of Texas is stunning. A six-week abortion ban is now in effect in Texas and, in the dead of the night, the Supreme Court turned its back on 50 years of precedent and allowed the ban to stay in effect despite it being wholly unconstitutional and rendering Roe v. Wade essentially meaningless in Texas.

As of this writing, abortion is virtually inaccessible for patients across Texas. The ban prohibits abortion at six weeks, before most people even know they’re pregnant. It also allows private individuals — such as neighbors, former partners, even anti-abortion activists and other complete strangers — to sue anyone who provides abortion or assists in acquiring abortion care after six weeks of pregnancy. This law will most harm people of color, people with low incomes, or those uninsured, and those living in rural areas.

At every Planned Parenthood across the country, including here in the DMV, our patients come first. We are working with our partners across the country to do everything we can to help patients in Texas and right here at home access the high quality, non judgemental care we are committed to providing every day, no matter what.

And of course, while we have grieved the loss of abortion access in Texas, we also will never stop fighting. Planned Parenthood continues to fight the Texas ban in the courts, as well as the many other cases challenging egregious abortion restrictions in other states, including the case pending this term at the Supreme Court, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization which will have significant repercussions for women in Mississippi if upheld. There are other states in the wings, looking to test Roe and we expect more announcements in the coming weeks and months.

We will continue to stand with our partners across the country to ensure that every person is able to make their own decisions about their health and their bodies without interference by politicians, neighbors, complete strangers, or anyone else. And we will continue to do everything we can to provide access to abortion to all who come to us in need of care — no matter what.