Texas Legislators Clash Over Abortion
Researchers at the University of Texas conducted the study with Ibis Reproductive Health, a Massachusetts research group that supports “women’s reproductive autonomy.”
They interviewed more than 300 women seeking abortions at clinics in six Texas cities between August and December 2012.
The women reported traveling an average of 42 miles to obtain an abortion. Nearly a third of the women said the waiting period negatively affected their “emotional well-being.”
Rep. Jessica Farrar, D-Houston, said she plans to file a bill to remove the waiting period. The law includes other requirements, such as having the same physician who will perform the abortion do a sonogram and describe the fetus to the woman.
The waiting period “is about creating unnecessary hardships on women and has nothing really to do with their health care,” Farrar said.
Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, who wrote the Senate version of the bill in 2011, said he doesn’t expect the law to be weakened. “My sonogram bill was about improving the standard of care for women,” he said.
On Tuesday, Perry threw his support behind a bill by Sen. Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, and Rep. Jodie Laubenberg, R-Parker, that would ban abortions after 20 weeks.