A lower court recently ruled that the state of Texas can effectively ban the vast majority of abortions by enabling lawsuits against anyone involved in an abortion beyond just six weeks of gestation. That de facto ban was also recently allowed to come into effect after the Supreme Court declined to immediately block it while it's considered in lower court systems.
But Republicans aren't stopping at abortions that require some form of surgery.
The GOP has used "safety" as an excuse and regulatory vehicle to impose restrictions on abortions that require surgery, but their next target is abortions that require nothing more than a pill.
As Texas abortion clinics find themselves navigating new waters amid the state’s new controversial law, another abortion bill could be just months away from becoming law. It's awaiting Governor Greg Abbott's signature.
This one targets abortion pills.
“We know that this is just another attempt to cruelly push abortion care out of reach for everyone in Texas," said Caroline, Duble, political director of Avow Texas.
Senate Bill 4 just passed in the most recent special session.
They aren't going to stop at abortions that require surgery, but they're also not going to stop at medication abortion.
The GOP's next stop will be new assaults on access to birth control and to police miscarriages to the greatest extent possible. Their goal is total control over women's bodies and reproductive systems. And it's probably going to get uglier before it gets better.
Telling women to simply leave Texas or other Republican controlled states is not practical for most, but I would certainly recommend to anyone with the financial means and minimal familiar roots to consider.
If were a major corporation, I would also consider leaving the state because the state's laws will make it more difficult if not impossible to attract talent.