Abortion Clinic Closure Takes Effect

On Oct. 2, HB 2 Fifth Circuit Supreme Court of appeals ruled in favor of the Texas HB 2 bill, which requires all abortion clinics to have ambulatory surgical centers in order to operate. The ruling shut down 13 more abortion clinics in Texas, with only 7 remaining operational, according to an Oct. 2 article from the New York Times. There is, the possibility of these clinics re-opening if continued legal battles change the ruling.

When the law was first proposed and passed in 2013, thousands of Texas women descended upon the Capitol to voice their opposition, decked in the burnt orange.

“This goes against Roe v. Wade,” Chinanu Chidi, president of the college democrats, said. “Every state can regulate abortions, but by closing clinics, women will need to travel out of their locale,” said Chinanu Chidi, president of the College Democrats.

Chidi cites the personal experience of people close to her as one of the reasons to oppose this law going into effect, in addition to the undue financial and travel burden this places on women of lower incomes.

“I know a 44-year-old woman who was pregnant,” Chidi said. “She had a procedure scheduled [at her hometown clinic], and when she went they had shut down. This lady had to travel over 250 miles to San Antonio for her abortion. The earliest time they could schedule her in was the next 3 weeks because there are so many people who have to come to that specific location, because there isn’t one near them.”

The College Democrats, like many other similarly-minded groups, have intentions to plan a mass opposition to the law’s enforcement.

“We plan to connect with other college democrats at University of Houston and Rice University,” Chidi said. “We don’t have plans at this point, but are in the works to plan something in the future. We want to educate more people on how this will affect them.

Being in the prime of their reproductive years, these clinic closures will likely affect college-aged women the most.

Photo Courtesy / Ann Harkness

“These clinics don’t do just provide abortions, they also provide mammograms, pap smears,  and other services that women need,” Chidi said. “Women also go to these clinics to get other routine health checks. The clinic closures will not only deprive women of these health services, but also stop a woman from terminating an unplanned pregnancy that she may not be ready for.”

In the Philippines, abortion is banned entirely. According to data surveyed, the World Health Organization estimates that 800,000 women obtain abortions in the Philippines each year. In Ireland, abortion is a criminal offense unless performed to save the life of the mother. According to a 2010 report by the Irish Federation of Family Planning, approximately 4,400 women from the Republic of Ireland were recorded as having an abortion in England and Wales. These precedents show that even if the abortion procedure is relocated, it does not stop it from being performed.

Nonetheless, pro-life advocates celebrate this as a victory, and believe this will save human lives.

“Samantha Garcia, a former Celts for Life President, took some of our members to the pro-life rallies last summer,” Deanna Ramirez, current president of the UST Celts for Life, said.

As officers of the Celts for Life group, Ramirez, and other club members must also commit to a certain amount of volunteer activists hours. Activities for the upcoming year include aid for women dealing with unplanned pregnancies.

“We are trying to start the Pregnant on Campus initiative in the spring: providing scholarships for mothers or pregnant women at UST,” Ramirez said, “And offering  babysitting services to make life easier for these young women.”

Celts for Life is ultimately trying to promote a cultured life by leading activist initiatives on campus by supporting the clinic closures.

“I hope women understand that pro-life movement is not as malicious as they are made out to be, Ramirez said. “The pro-life movement gives women answers and solutions that they do not want to hear and that is difficult for them. The shutdown of these abortion clinics may not give these women immediate gratification, but it is what is best for them.”

Photo Courtesy / Ann Harkness