After the opportunistic attack comes the retaliation. The abortion-rights supporters in Texas decided to haul their government before the court. It had taken advantage of the new coronavirus crisis to suspend abortion rights across the state these last days, declaring abortion to be a “nonessential” medical procedure.
“It’s unconscionable that the Texas attorney general is exploiting this pandemic to end abortion in the state,” said Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is bringing suit along with the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, in a statement Wednesday evening. “Abortion care is time-sensitive and essential health care that has a profound impact on a person’s health and life, which is why it is protected as a constitutional right. Texas is abusing the state’s emergency powers and we are filing suit today to stop it.”
At the beginning of the week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the suspension of all abortion procedures in his state, in order to devote medical resources and equipment to fighting the coronavirus.* Ohio and Mississippi are working on adopting the same measure.
Last Wednesday, during a live video exchange on Facebook with anti-abortion supporters, the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton justified the decision by claiming abortions are “an elective procedure that can be done later.”
The decree halts abortion procedures until April 21. Doctors and staff violating the order face fines of up to $1,000 and 180 days in jail.
“It is not surprising that the heads of conservative states would take advantage of the situation to launch an offensive against abortion clinics,” said Marianne Labrecque, coordinator and representative of the Quebec Federation for Pregnancy Planning, speaking to Le Devoir. “Sadly it was quite a predictable move.”
In comparison, on Thursday morning, most clinics offering abortions were still open in Quebec, as this procedure is considered essential even during the pandemic we are facing.
“It is possible that appointments were moved to respect the new decontamination norms of surgery rooms between each procedure,” continued Labrecque, surmising that an attack to abortion rights like the one Texas is experiencing would not be tolerated in Quebec. “The main issue in Quebec is the shortage of doctors practicing abortions. If several of them had to be quarantined, it could affect the surgeries planned.”
Due to problems in supplying protective masks and gloves in the U.S., most states decided to halt nonessential surgeries so this medical equipment could be provided to the medical staff now battling COVID-19 infections – especially in New York, which is the epicenter of the pandemic. Texas, Ohio and Mississippi are the only states that included abortion clinics in the list of medical centers that will halt operations.
“This week our clinic staff had to cancel over 150 appointments,” stated Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Woman’s Health – a clinic providing abortion procedures in Texas and a plaintiff in the legal proceeding initiated this week, speaking to The Dallas Morning News. “It is shameful that our politicians use emergency actions during a global pandemic to push through their anti-abortion agenda. We cannot sit idly by while the state is forcing Texans to be pregnant against their will.”
Texas is one of the most affected states in the coronavirus pandemic, with 1,400 infections reported last Thursday. The virus has killed at least 18 persons there so far.
*Editor’s note: The Texas governor halted all procedures that were “medically unnecessary.” The Texas attorney general interpreted that directive to include abortions.
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