Last summer, the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark court case in 1973 that legalized abortion in the United States. In the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the court overturned this precedent. Dobbs was a lawsuit over a pro-life law in Mississippi, and the abortion clinic that brought the legal challenge has since closed down. Now, a new study shows that abortions in one conservative state have stopped almost entirely.
According to statistics from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, abortions in Texas have plunged 99 percent in the months after the Dobbs ruling.
On Jan. 3, the Texas Right to Life organization tweeted that there were only three abortions reported in Texas in August 2022 due to medical emergencies. According to the group's website, there were no elective abortions during this time.
BREAKING: Official report shows there were only 3 abortions reported in TX in August 2022, all due to medical emergencies. We still have work to do to stop illegal abortions, especially pills trafficked over the border & online, but this shows life-saving progress. #txlege
— Texas Right to Life (Text ProLife to 40237) (@TXRightToLife) January 3, 2023
Compared to one year ago, there were 5,706 elective abortions recorded in the state, according to Texas Right to Life.
"Advancements in medical technology have greatly reduced the situations where both mother and child are at risk, but in rare and heartbreaking circumstances, a woman's pregnancy can endanger her life. The death of the child is an indirect result of a life-saving intervention for the mother," Texas Right to Life wrote. "We mourn the loss of the three children who tragically could not be saved last year but are grateful the doctors rightly protected the mothers rather than losing both precious lives."
Texas Right to Life added that "as many as 50,000" babies have been "saved" since September of last year.
Before the Dobbs decision, Texas lawmakers enacted a "heartbeat" law that outlawed abortions after fetal heartbeat detection. For most pregnancies, this occurs around six weeks. The law was challenged at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court allowed the law to stay in place and sent the case back to lower courts.