How Texas abortion laws are driving doctors out of the state

According to Dr. According to Dr. Emily Briggs, an obstetrician and family physician who works in Central Texas, Texas' strict abortion laws have hindered doctors in the state from providing comprehensive maternity care to pregnant women.

To date, no doctor has been prosecuted for violating the ban, which is now a crime. But the confusing and contradictory law has doctors worried about how they treat their patients. Briggs considers it a “dangerous situation.”

“Because personally, as a primary care physician, I could face loss of my license, life in prison and hefty fines just for discussing evidence-based care with my patient,” she said.

How Texas abortion laws have affected medical care

Twenty states, including Texas, have banned or severely restricted abortion after the Supreme Court ruled overthrew Roe v. calf in 2022. Violating Texas' abortion law is considered a felony.

Before the 2022 decision, Texas had banned abortion after six weeks under SB-8, with no exceptions for rape, incest or severe fetal anomalies. There was an exception for medical emergencies, but the bill did not define this.

In 2022, Texas passed another, more restrictive law banning all abortion from conception unless the mother's life was in imminent danger.

The prospect of criminal prosecution has raised such fears that most Texas hospitals now require doctors to consult staff attorneys when treating complicated pregnancies and miscarriages.

I'm leaving Texas to train and practice elsewhere

Dr. Briggs said she has heard from colleagues, both obstetricians and family physicians, who no longer want to practice in Texas. Last year, the number of Texas-based gynecology applicants fell by 16%.

“Future obstetricians recognize the complexity of the rules in Texas,” Briggs said. “Not only do they not want to train here, but that means they don’t want to train here.”

Dr. Adrianne Smith moved from Texas to the University of New Mexico Hospital last year.

One of her most recent cases in Texas still haunts her: a young woman who became seriously ill after attempting to terminate her own pregnancy with an unknown drug she purchased in Mexico.

Smith spoke to a supervising doctor about the case.

“He looked at me and said, ‘The attorney general is trying to make an example of someone. And you don't want to be the case,'” Smith said.

She said it made her realize that there were people who wanted to criminalize her professional actions and send her to prison.

The training of gynecologists is influenced by Texas law

According to Dr. According to Dr. Eve Espey, chief of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of New Mexico, Texas residents are now missing out on the opportunity to learn about different types of care for pregnant women.

“They lack the opportunity to learn trauma-informed care… to diagnose pregnancy complications in the first trimester and second trimester,” she said. “They miss learning… miscarriage care, ectopic pregnancy care, pregnancy in an unknown location. I mean, the list goes on and on.”

These things are part of the training to become a certified gynecologist everywhere in the United States, but in Texas some training is no longer offered due to new laws. That means OB/GYN residents will now have to leave the state for two to four weeks to get the training they need.

According to Espey, that's not enough time.

“Our residents have a special rotation in their first year and fourth year. However, they work with us during their four-year residency,” she said.

Back in Texas, Briggs is calling on lawmakers to work with doctors. She worries about what she thinks will happen if nothing changes.

“We are losing doctors in Texas, we are losing healthy mothers, we are losing families in general. “It’s a scary decision to get pregnant,” she said. “Additionally, if something medically complex happens, you could lose your life and not receive the care you deserve. Why should anyone stay for that?”