Unsafe Abortion Alternatives Are Putting Women's Lives in Danger

There has been a noticeable rise in women seeking unsafe alternatives to abortion care after the passing of Texas Senate Bill 8 by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The unreliability and danger in seeking primary abortion care options after SB8 has led to abortions being held in facilities lacking proper and adequate medical standards and equipment, which are being administered by an unqualified or inexperienced staff, or even women inducing abortions themselves.

Some methods of these unsafe abortions include but are not limited to the ingestion of toxic fluids or the insertion of dangerous instruments such as coat hangers, twigs, and plastic knives. A large portion of the domestic maternal mortality rate can be attributed to a rapid rise in these dangerous abortions. This fact, in and of itself, should further emphasize the need for making abortions legal in any state. Also, the restrictive abortion law, especially in Texas, has added legal barriers to citizens trying to aid someone who is trying to seek an abortion. For example, Lyft and Uber drivers are unaware that providing transportation to someone seeking an abortion may leave them in legal jeopardy in the State of Texas.

Further, vulnerable lives are being compromised with the increased restrictions to abortion that are being placed by Texas Senate Bill 8. There are severe physiological, cognitive, and emotional consequences accompanying a woman's inability to seek safe and proper abortion care. Thus, we are sadly back in the days before Roe v. Wade, where women are relying and seeking on dangerous alternatives in having an abortion. This will inevitably lead to more dangerous physical and emotional scars on women who pursue this route. Please have mercy on them.

Haddad, Lisa B, and Nawal M Nour. “Unsafe Abortion: Unnecessary Maternal Mortality.” Reviews in Obstetrics & Gynecology, MedReviews, LLC, 2009, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2709326/.