One woman details the long, expensive, anxiety-inducing road trip she had to take after Texas shut down abortions.
On Monday, Texas halted abortions there, ostensibly to preserve limited medical supplies for COVID-19 patients. The governor’s order has left women across the state scrambling. HuffPost spoke to Catherine, a 24-year-old college student in Arlington, Texas, who had embarked on a long, expensive and anxiety-inducing road trip to obtain an abortion out of state. Her interview has been edited for clarity and length. She is using a pseudonym to protect her identity.
The appointment took five hours. They gave me a sonogram and took blood. I was under 10 weeks pregnant so I qualified for a medication abortion. My partner and I began researching abortion restrictions in the states nearest Texas. Oklahoma has a 72-hour waiting period so I didn’t want to go there. The clinics I called in New Mexico had no availability until April 15. So then we looked at Colorado. After dozens of calls, I secured an appointment in Denver. It’s about a 12-hour drive from my house. My best friend came up from Austin to drive with me so I wasn’t alone. My partner couldn’t afford to miss work to accompany me.
As we talk, I’m in the car driving home to Texas. We have 10 and a half hours to go. I feel like I’m in a race against time. I have to take the second drug in 24 hours for my abortion to actually work. So that means that we need to hurry up. We don’t have time to take breaks or rest. Otherwise, I’ll be having my abortion in the car.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Do you wear contact lenses? You should switch to glasses to stop spreading the virusDuring the coronavirus pandemic it's best to revert from contact lens to glasses, experts suggest, to keep from spreading the virus -- and possibly getting it.
Read more »
Abortion Providers Will Be Treated As Essential Health Workers During This PandemicThe clarification comes after BuzzFeed News revealed up to 80 women on surgical abortion lists around Australia were waiting in limbo.
Read more »
State Officials Battle Over Abortion During Medical Supply ShortageRepublican officials in a growing number of states say abortion is a non-essential procedure that should be delayed during the coronavirus pandemic. Reproductive health groups say abortion is an essential, time-sensitive procedure and cannot be delayed.
Read more »
I'm Pregnant During the Coronavirus Pandemic, & I'm Not OKWhat is it like to be pregnant during the coronavirus pandemic? It's not pretty.
Read more »
M.I.A. Chose the Worst Possible Time to Tell Us She’s an Anti-VaxxerThis week in We Regret to Inform You During a Pandemic.
Read more »