The number of abortions performed in Texas decreased significantly in the first month after a controversial abortion law went into effect last year.
The law, known as S.B. 8, bans abortions after a heartbeat is detected at about six weeks.
It also allows private citizens to collect a $10,000 reward if they successfully file a lawsuit against someone who performed an abortion or helped a woman obtain an abortion after the six-week limit.
According to Axios, in August, there were 5,404 clinic abortions performed statewide. But after the law went into effect in September, the number of abortions fell to 2,197.
The outlet notes, “Up until September, in 2021, there were at least 4,200 abortions performed each month.”
Due to the law, women in Texas have traveled to other states to get an abortion.
But since it has gone into effect, there have been no lawsuits filed by anti-abortion supporters.
The Supreme Court has repeatedly refused to block the law, which NPR explains is “aimed at skirting enforcement of the right to abortion.”
However, the court ruled that the law can still face legal challenges in federal court.
After the law went into effect, President Joe Biden said in a statement, “This extreme Texas law blatantly violates the constitutional right established under Roe v. Wade and upheld as precedent for nearly half a century.”
“The Texas law will significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes. And, outrageously, it deputizes private citizens to bring lawsuits against anyone who they believe has helped another person get an abortion, which might even include family members, health care workers, front desk staff at a health care clinic, or strangers with no connection to the individual,” he continued.
He also vowed his administration “is deeply committed to the constitutional right established in Roe v. Wade nearly five decades ago and will protect and defend that right.”