Abortion Services and Clinic Operations Amid the End of Roe v. Wade

In Houston, a day of dismay, confusion, and dread followed the Supreme Court decision that ends the constitutional right to abortion. Moments after learning that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade, Ivy, the supervisor at the Houston Women’s Clinic, who has worked there for nearly two decades, walked to a nearby room and pressed her fingers to her eyes, fighting back tears.

The Impact of State Regulations in Texas

Since May, when the draft of a Supreme Court decision leaked, revealing its conservative majority’s intention to overturn Roe v. Wade, Ivy went to work each day knowing that it might be her last. A ruling on Roe v. Wade was imminent and the procedure could be banned at any time, Ivy would warn the pregnant women who approached the front desk. Following the passage of a state law last September, the dominant concern was whether the ultrasound would determine that they were more than six weeks pregnant or had electrical activity in fetal cells—eventualities that would mean they’d be barred from receiving an abortion in Texas and need to seek care in a different state. As mandated by Texas law, women have to wait at least twenty-four hours after receiving paperwork and a sonogram that confirms their pregnancies. But at 9:11 A.M., before the doctor had walked through the door and any abortions had commenced, Sheila heard from an A.C.L.U. lawyer: “Roe, overturned,” she said flatly.

Challenges of Opening New Clinics

It’s an unsettling time to be an abortion provider in America. Opening a small business is never easy, but getting an abortion clinic off the ground comes with a special set of hurdles—particularly a clinic that offers abortions later in pregnancy. Even when timing and funding aren’t an issue, something as simple as finding a location can be incredibly difficult. Many landlords don’t want to rent to abortion providers, and local zoning laws sometimes restrict where abortion clinics can operate. Other businesses might also object to being located in the same shopping plaza as a facility that’s a magnet for protesters.

In Maryland, Dr. Diane Horvath and Morgan Nuzzo decided they wanted to take the plunge and start their own business, Partners in Abortion Care. They looked for funding from traditional and not-so-traditional sources and hired lawyers to help them navigate the world of business leases, bank loans and incorporation documents. In just over two months, they raised more than $260,000. “The one thing that’s moving us along and making it so we’re not despairing is that we’re working toward getting this clinic open,” Horvath said.

Clinical Services and Healthcare Options

While some providers face closure, others like the Scotsdale Women’s Center continue to offer vital healthcare. We offer surgical abortion, medication (pill) abortion, and medication abortion by mail. Financial Assistance is available through the National Abortion Federation. The following table highlights the clinic locations and services mentioned in the material:

Thirteen states would promptly ban the procedure, and another dozen could heavily restrict it. If that happens, abortion providers in the states where abortion remains legal would suddenly face a surge of out-of-state patients. According to Caitlin Myers, an economist at Middlebury College, 356 providers opened or reopened between January 1, 2013, and June 1, 2022, while 405 clinics closed, reclosed or stopped providing abortions.