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Planned Parenthood of South Texas said ti will stop providing abortion services in San Antonio until a court can neutralize a threat of civil lawsuits under Texas' new law.
Planned Parenthood's two clinics and one surgical center in the Alamo City suspended abortion services September 1, the date the law became effective. The organization said it hopes to avoid being targeted by civil suits enabled under the legislation, according to the report.
Texas' new law bans abortions once embryonic or fetal cardiac activity is detected — usually around six weeks, a time when many women aren't yet aware they're pregnant. What's more, it enables virtually any private citizen to sue someone they think enabled an abortion that violated the rule.
“My hope is that the threat of civil lawsuits will somehow become neutralized by the courts, and then we can get about the business of providing whatever care is legally permissible,” Planned Parenthood of South Texas CEO Jeffrey Hons told the Tribune.
Planned Parenthood will continue to offer other types of reproductive healthcare.
A fourth San Antonio provider, Alamo Women's Clinic, is still offering abortion services, according to its website, which notes that it's complying with the new law.
In a message on its site, Alamo Women's Clinic informs women that the sooner they schedule an appointment after a suspected pregnancy, "the more likely you can be treated." The clinic also notes that it may refer patients to an out-of-state facility such as an affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and that women seeking abortions may be able to access funds for travel.
"Governor Abbott and the Republican led legislature in Texas is solely responsible for this outrageous assault on women in Texas," the message on the website continues. "We will do everything we can to preserve your right to choose."
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