Texas Women Turning To Do-It-Yourself Abortions: ‘It Was Like We Were Back In The Days Of The Wild West’
Restrictive laws in the state forced many clinics to close, leaving fewer than 20 to serve 5.4 million women of reproductive age. Experts calculate that as many as 240,000 have chosen to self-induce abortions since then, and warn that if the Supreme Court upholds the restrictions that number will only escalate.
Thomson Reuters Foundation:
Up Against Strict Laws, Texas Women Learn Do-It-Yourself Abortions
Susanna was young, single, broke and pregnant in southern Texas where, thanks to the state's strict laws, her chances of getting a surgical abortion at a clinic were slim to none. So she did what an estimated 100,000 women or more in Texas have done - had a self-induced abortion. With the help of a friend, some online instructions and quick dash across the Mexican border for some pills, she addressed the issue of unwanted pregnancy in a state where women are finding abortion services too expensive and too far away. (Wulfhorst, 5/24)
In other news, Democrats urge Speaker Paul Ryan to dismantle the special panel investigating fetal tissue —
The Washington Post:
181 Democrats Join Call To End House Fetal-Tissue Probe
All but a handful of House Democrats are calling on Speaker Paul D. Ryan to disband the special committee established last year to probe connections between abortion providers and medical researchers, accusing the panel of “continued abuses which jeopardize the integrity of the House and the safety of Americans.” The letter represents a new salvo in the partisan warfare over the Select Investigative Panel established in October in response to a series of undercover videos produced by anti-abortion activists. All but two Democrats voted against creating the panel, and Democratic members of the committee have called since then on several occasions for its dissolution. (DeBonis, 5/24)