Abortion in Texas

Under the Heartbeat ActUnder the Heartbeat Act

I’ll be honest: I never saw this coming. Sure, we knew that abolishing abortion was one of the top eight priorities the Republican Party of Texas chose for the 87th Texas Legislature. And, sure, we knew a slew of pro-life bills were headed to the governor’s desk; we even knew he’d sign them. But we sure did not expect one of the strongest pro-life bills ever proposed in the United States of America since January 22, 1973, when the United States Supreme Court issued their infamous decision on Roe v. Wade, and its companion, Doe v. Bolton, to make it past legal challenges and actually go into effect as scheduled!

How – HOW - did that happen? Now, I’m not a lawyer. I started off my career as a music therapist, moved into case management, then clinic management, and now am blessed by God with the humbling responsibility of leading a non-profit, pro-life ministry. So, not a lawyer, by any stretch. For that reason, I don’t want to get too deep and technical in my response to that question.

SB8 – Texas’ Heartbeat Act – prohibits abortion when a heartbeat can be detected, which is usually about six weeks into the pregnancy. Usually, a law has criminal penalties for breaking it, but this law does not. It allows a civil suit to be brought against anyone who aids and abets an abortion in Texas of a baby with a heartbeat, with a potential award of $10,000. The mother who seeks the abortion cannot be sued. However, someone who performs the abortion, pays for the abortion, or drives the mother to get the abortion (for example), can be.

Abortion providers in Texas are required to perform a sonogram 24 hours prior to the administration of an abortion – whether surgical or chemical (“the abortion pill”). As of September 1, 2021, when the Heartbeat Act went into effect, if the abortion provider detects a heartbeat in that sonogram, they cannot perform the abortion. The provider must document the method used to detect a heartbeat and the results of their findings. For all practical purposes, the impact of this bill has been to stop surgical abortions in Texas.

The abortion pill is still being used, however (as long as there is no fetal heartbeat detected). Let me warn, you, parts of this paragraph are a little graphic and may be hard to read, so skip over it if you don’t want to understand how the abortion pill process works. The abortion pill is actually two pills, the first causing the death of the baby, and the second, which is actually several pills and is taken 24 hours later, causes the woman to go into labor and expel the child from her body. There are two very important things to note about the abortion pill. One is that, for many women, it is much harder on their bodies and souls than a surgical abortion. There is cramping and bleeding, which can be severe and prolonged, even up to several weeks. The woman often winds up having her baby in the toilet. She is often alone at the time, and there can be a great deal of blood loss at this time. I heard a woman say recently that, after

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going through the abortion pill process, she feels sick every time she has to go to the bathroom, remembering what she went through in that room.

The other thing you should know about the abortion pill is that the process can be reversed. If a woman takes the first pill and then regrets her decision to abort, if she and her physician act quickly, the process can sometimes be reversed. She can go to www.abortionpillreversal.com or call 877-558-0333 for assistance in beginning the reversal process. The sooner the process begins, the greater the likelihood of preserving the pregnancy.

One concern about the impact of the Heartbeat Act is that women may seek an out-of-state abortion, yet it is crucial that the medical provider be easily accessible in the event the woman experiences complications such as hemorrhaging, infection, etc. It is also imperative that she returns to the same abortion provider for any followup appointments to ensure the abortion is complete. (Please note that I am not a licensed medical professional. All of these decisions should be discussed between a woman and her personal physician.)

We at Hope Pregnancy Center in College Station are available to help at any stage of this process. We provide pregnancy testing, ultrasounds, options consultation, parenting classes, material support, and abortion recovery care for women and men regretting their abortion decision. Because of the expected impact of the Heartbeat Act on the needs of our clients, we are adding a new program called Next Step, in which a Life Coach will provide oneon-one mentorship for women facing more difficult challenges as a result of their life decision.

Our services have always been provided in complete confidentiality, and will continue to be so. In no way do we profit from whatever decision our clients make. All of our services are provided completely free of charge to our clients, for no other reason than because we care. We are here to provide compassion and help, as we have been for the past thirty-six years. All of our funding comes from private donations – from people who care as deeply about mothers, fathers, lives, and babies as we do. No one has to walk through this decision alone. We truly are here to help, and we look forward to doing so.

BIO: Carol Dodds became the Executive Director of Hope Pregnancy Center in College Station in November 2017, after serving almost seven years as Executive Director of a pregnancy clinic in Northern California. Previously, she spent 25 years working with developmentally disabled adults as a music therapist, case manager and clinic manager. Carol lives in Bryan with her mother Jeana and, occasionally, her son Travis, a senior at Oklahoma Christian University.

About Hope: Hope Pregnancy Centers of the Brazos Valley is a faith-based, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing a safe and confidential refuge for those in crisis. Services (all of which are free) include pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, peer counseling, parenting and life skills classes, and material aid based on an “earn while you learn” system. More information may be found at www.partnerwithhope.org.