This week, the University of Texas produced new research showing women wait an average of 20 days for an abortion in some of the state's regions. Their study, the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP), measured the impact of the HB2 anti-abortion law. Since the law passed, the number abortion clinics in Texas dropped from 41 to 18, and wait times have skyrocketed. HB2 forces abortion providers to meet standards similar to those of hospitals, like mandated minimum room sizes and pipelines to anesthesia.
Abortion providers and health organizations have opposed the legislation according to NPR. The Supreme Court's new term began this week. If they decide not to hear HB2, or if they take the case and rule in favor of Texas, Busby says the results will be devastating—and ironic. "The projections are that 20-day wait times will be the norm, and that will result in a doubling of abortions performed in the second trimester," she says. Although second trimester abortions are considered safe, Busby says the procedure comes with an increased risk for complications when compared to abortions performed in a pregnancy's first trimester. "So HB2 does exactly the opposite of the lawmaker's purported intent," she explains. "Of course, [abortion providers] knew all along the real intent was to close down clinics."