Due to anti-abortion attacks, our clinic has to shift its services and adapt to an increasingly hostile landscape. The Supreme Court’s ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade allowed states to impose restrictions on abortion. Texas moved to embrace a pre-Roe 1925 abortion ban, which a judge initially blocked but was then overruled by the court. The Texas “trigger law” bans all abortions at the moment of fertilization except for in rare circumstances such as saving the life of the pregnant person or preventing “substantial impairment of major bodily function.”
Despite restrictions, our clinic is open and providing early pregnancy assessment clinic services, but pausing abortion care at this time, pending litigation in the courts. Texans deserve access to abortion without barriers, and we need to navigate the reversal of Roe v. Wade to ensure we can serve our community. Independent abortion clinics provide the majority of abortion care in the US. They are more likely to offer both in-clinic care and medication abortion. Independent clinics are also more likely to be located in hostile states like ours. Reproductive health access is rapidly changing in Texas, and we’ve had to pivot to keep our doors open. We know that independent abortion clinics are centers of care for our communities and will do everything in our power to continue serving anyone seeking services.
Our priority is ensuring that every person can get the reproductive health care they need. We will continue to connect patients with abortion services where it is still available. Despite being unable to provide abortion care, we will provide reproductive health services such as early pregnancy assessment.
Early Pregnancy Assessment Clinic Benefits
Offering abortion services often involves assessing complications in early pregnancy. This puts us in a unique position to open up these services to patients with desired pregnancies and those that may still be considering their options. Early pregnancy assessment clinics offer care to those who may be seeking support for first-trimester pregnancy complications. We now help patients with the following services:
- Same-day or next-day gynecologic consult regarding spotting, bleeding, and/or cramping in early pregnancy
- Transvaginal or abdominal ultrasound and lab assessment
- Early diagnosis of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy
- Medical management of early pregnancy loss using Mifepristone and Misoprostol
- In-office surgical management of early pregnancy loss
- In-office surgical management of fetal demise in first and second trimesters
- Grief and loss counseling
- Referrals for continued prenatal care with an obstetrician
A 2020 study published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada found that early pregnancy assessment clinics result in more patients choosing and successfully being treated by expectant or medical management for spontaneous abortion, which refers to pregnancy loss at less than 20 weeks gestation. The study found that those who seek support at an emergency department obtain care that restricts their therapeutic choices.
Where to Access Abortion Services
You can still come to Austin Women’s Health for early pregnancy assessment services, and we can help you locate abortion services.
If you need an abortion, help is available. We recommend ineedana.com for finding care. You might need to travel across states for abortion, and some funds help defray travel or logistical costs.
Please continue to double-check the information about our clinic’s status—the most reliable source is us. In addition, we will post hours and operations directly on our website, Twitter @ProChoiceATX, or Instagram.
How to Get Involved
Everyone deserves access to abortion care directly in their community—communities need clinics. When clinics close, entire communities lose access not only to abortion but often to other essential reproductive and sexual health services. We are committed to serving the needs of our community wherever we can.
Providing abortion care is an act of trust and love, and we are grateful to everyone who works at an abortion clinic. If you want to get involved in the abortion access movement, show your support by donating to KeepOurClinics.org, an individual clinic, or abortion funds.
Other ways to show your support for abortion rights:
- Volunteering with your local clinic
- Becoming a patient at an independent clinic
- Sharing accurate information, like how to find a clinic, on platforms like social media
- Vote, contact your state rep or leader, testify, share your story, or sign petitions
Resources
- INeedAnA.com: Find a clinic – to find vetted, up-to-date, and personalized info on how to get an abortion; no search or user data saved. You can share the news using these graphics.
- M+A Hotline: a personal, private, and secure phone and text hotline for people in need of support for self-managed miscarriage or abortion.
- ReproLegal Helpline: a free, confidential source for legal advice and information on self-managed abortion. Visit ReproLegalHelpline.org or call 844-868-2812.
- Clinic Checker: not sure if a clinic is legit or a fake clinic? Paste the clinic’s site URL into the bar at the top of this site to check if it’s a legitimate clinic.