Texas Abortion law

Texas' New Abortion Law Doubles Risk of Health Issues for Pregnant Women: Study

To comply with Senate Bill 8, a study from Parkland Memorial Hospital and UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas shows doctors are delaying medically necessary abortions until women develop life-threatening complications.

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Not even six months into their pregnancies, their water broke. Chances of a healthy baby were slim, and risks to the women were high. Normally, doctors would offer to end the pregnancy right away.

But new Texas abortion restrictions required Parkland Health and UT Southwestern Medical Center doctors to delay until women developed complications that posed an “immediate threat” to their lives, according to a recent study by the Dallas medical institutions.

Many of the women got infections. Some needed blood transfusions. One went to the intensive care unit. Only one baby lived — its lungs so underdeveloped it was tethered to life support.

The doctors estimated the wait made women twice as likely to suffer serious health problems.

Click here to read more on this report from our partners at The Dallas Morning News.

The Texas Medical Association, which represents doctors, says pregnant people at some hospitals in the state have not received swift, proper care for dangerous pregnancy complications. The group has asked the state's medical board to investigate the state's 6-week abortion ban and its effects on care in hospitals. Reporter Allie Morris from the Dallas Morning News joins LX News to discuss the state's current legal landscape.
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