On Monday, the Biden administration reversed a Trump era ban on abortion referrals by community family planning clinics. As political battles on abortion rights grow from Texas, surrounding states are starting to feel the effects.
Since new legislation that severely restricts abortions in Texas went into effect last month, Planned Parenthood in bordering states are seeing a surge in patients coming from the Lone Star state.
"We have so much going on," Heather Palacios, the Vice President of Community Relations and Strategic Partnerships said, "...it seems to be an ever growing, you know, volume of patients with each passing week."
In states like Oklahoma and Arkansas, its unlike anything she's seen in recent years.
"Last year, we saw, you know, around 250 patients from Texas across our affiliate. This year to date, we've seen more than 500, more like 550. And half of those since September 1," Palacios added.
But out of state patients coming to Arkansas for abortion procedures isn't a new concept. In 2020, 12% of all abortion patients seen in the natural state were from somewhere else; 19% of those cases were from Texas alone.
As it stands, Arkansas allows abortions up until 20 weeks, but a newly passed law allows a near-total ban on abortions, (except when saving the mother's life) is still being challenged in court.
Right now that law is temporarily blocked by a US district judge. But that preliminary block can be appealed to the 8th circuit court, which can either enforce it or cancel it. Then the district court can hand down a final judgment, possibly blocking the law for good.
But that decision again could be appealed and then be taken possibly all the way to the US Supreme Court, but even then there is no guarantee they take the case.
For now, the legislation is still at the preliminary injunction stage.
Jill Lens, the Robert A. Leflar Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas explained that this law could be in the courts for a while as the preliminary injection still holds. "We don't for sure know, who's gonna win the lawsuit just for preliminary injunction. It depends on things like, who might suffer irreparable injury, if the law goes into effect. It also does look at who's probably going to win the lawsuit, but it's just a prediction."
Right now the majority of the Texan abortion patient spike is in Oklahoma, with a lesser, but still significant rise in Arkansas clinics as well. Even still, the Great Plains region of Planned Parenthood is starting to think ahead for a possible continuation of out of state patient surges if Arkansas, too becomes more restrictive in abortion legislation.
"We're, you know, kind of weathering this storm right now. It's, it's at an all time level of importance to be supportive," Palacios added.