The nation’s high court has eliminated the constitutional protection for abortion. Clinics in Texas stopped providing the procedure immediately. We’re answering our readers’ questions.
Texas Abortion Restrictions
Abortions in Texas ceased following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that eliminated the constitutional protection for an abortion. Texans who want to access abortion at any stage of pregnancy will have to travel out of state, look beyond the U.S.-Mexico border or operate outside of the law, while others will carry unwanted pregnancies to term. Birth control and emergency contraceptives, commonly referred to as Plan B, are different from the drugs used to induce an abortion and remain legal.
“We’re rejoicing”: Texas abortion foes celebrate Supreme Court ruling and say their work isn’t done
Friday was joyful for activists who have spent decades fighting to end abortion, and now they want to see abortion restrictions spread nationwide.
In Roe decision, Justice Clarence Thomas invites new legal challenges to contraception and same-sex marriage rights
Experts told The Texas Tribune that Thomas’ opinion signals an openness from the court to reconsidering other settled legal precedents related to rights the court has ruled are protected by the constitution.
Before Roe v. Wade was overturned, at least 50,000 Texans received abortions in the state each year. Here’s a look behind the numbers.
Most Texans who got abortions in the state were in their 20s and 30s, and the vast majority of abortions were performed 10 weeks into pregnancy or earlier. Black Texans consistently had the highest rates of abortion.
Wealth will now largely determine which Texans can access abortion
The U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade will not fall equally. Texans most likely to seek out abortion care in the past are now the least likely to be able to afford it. People of color will be most disproportionately affected.
Abortions in Texas have stopped after Attorney General Ken Paxton said pre-Roe bans could be in effect, clinics say
Paxton and some anti-abortion activists are arguing that state laws that banned abortion before Roe v. Wade — and were never repealed — could now be in effect in Texas.
Plan B and contraceptives remain legal in Texas after U.S. Supreme Court ruling on abortion
In the same decision that overruled Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court was clear that the constitutional right to access contraceptives remains untouched — though one justice said he would welcome challenges to that right.
U.S. Supreme Court rules there’s no right to abortion, setting up Texas ban
The high court’s monumental ruling will have major impact on Texas, which has a trigger law banning abortions that goes into effect soon.
Texas Republicans cheer end of Roe v. Wade while Democrats vow to fight back in November
Attorney General Ken Paxton declared on Twitter that he would be closing his office and “making it an annual holiday” in honor of the Supreme Court decision.
With the end of Roe, Texans will have to travel long distances for legal abortions
New Mexico is expected to become a “haven state” where abortion remains legal and largely accessible. That state has six abortion clinics and is gearing up for an influx of patients. The nearest clinic there is a 12-hour drive from Houston and a 10-hour drive from Dallas.

