Abortions in Texas plummeted after the reversal of Roe v. Wade, according to new data released by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Abortion statistics for July 2022, the first full month after Texas’ total protections for preborn children, reported 68 abortions. The same time period a year prior saw 4,879 abortions, an average of 150 per day. That means there were over twice as many lives taken each day of July 2021 than in the entire month of July 2022. From September 2021 to June 2022, the Texas Heartbeat Act decreased the number of abortions to 2,500 per month on average.
The July 2022 report also recorded the number of abortions due to a medical emergency or to protect the life of the mother. Of the 68 abortions in July, one was reported to have been done due to medical emergency and to preserve the mother’s health. The remaining 67 are listed as “neither reason,” meaning they were elective / voluntary and could include social reasons, such as financial strain or lack of family support.
It is likely that many of these 67 elective abortions were committed while a liberal Harris County judge attempted to block enforcement of pre-Roe laws. Tragically, most abortion facilities across Texas resumed operation during the three days the judge’s order was in effect. Many of them ran at a higher-than-usual capacity to make up for lost time. They reported calling clients back to get as many of them in the doors as possible. Additionally, the abortion industry attempted to sow confusion about the legal status of Texas’ abortion ban within the two months between the reversal of Roe and the “trigger law” taking effect August 25.
Overall, July’s data reveal the success of our Pro-Life laws. Legal elective abortion is no more in the state of Texas, and lives are being saved at unprecedented levels. However, we must remain vigilant at all times. The abortion industry will seize every opportunity possible, legal or not, to continue waging war against preborn children. We cannot let them feel encouraged or comfortable at getting away with 67 elective abortions.
That is why we are prioritizing passing legislation that holds abortionists accountable for their lawlessness. Texans need to show them that 67 is still too many, and we will not stop until every innocent human life is protected in Texas.