Following the abortion ban in Texas a group of women is going to be suing the state over the legislation. According to the suit, the legislation wording is vague and as such does not provide enough room for doctors to be able to provide life-saving care that helps protect the health of both the mother and fetus.
All five women in the suit tried to get an abortion shortly after the Texas abortion ban went through. However, they were denied those abortions despite the pregnancies posing significant dangers to their own health as well as to the health of their fetuses or future children.
According to Texas state law, abortions are not allowed in any case where a fetal heartbeat can be detected. There are also no exceptions for incest or rape included in the law. However, there is a part of the law that states that abortions are not criminalized if “the mother’s life is in danger.” As the women note this is not specific enough in terms of what types of procedures are allowed, which means that many doctors are not able to determine in which cases they are allowed to intervene.
The plaintiffs, including the five women and two Texas OB/GYNs, are represented by the Center for Reproductive Rights. This is the first lawsuit brought against the state by individual women who were directly harmed by the law.
One of the plaintiffs, Amanda Zurawski, 35, was diagnosed with cervical insufficiency in her second trimester which means that her cervix ruptured prematurely. This condition frequently leads to late miscarriages. Physicians informed her that a miscarriage was “inevitable” after her fetal membrane broke. When asked about what could be done to protect her from an infection in the condition she was in, Zurawski was informed by health professionals that they could not do anything under the anti-abortion laws in Texas.
