Life in the Time of Coronavirus
The Abortion Provider Who Was Forced to Turn Away Women Halfway Through the Process
A series about how this pandemic affects our lives, our loved ones, our work, and our way of life
Life in the Time of Coronavirus is a new GEN series where we are interviewing people across the country who have had their lives upended or are experiencing the stress of the unknown.
On March 18, Mike Pence asked hospitals to postpone elective procedures to free up medical supplies for the fight against the novel coronavirus. Four days later, the state of Texas postponed all nonessential medical procedures, citing the White House directive. The Texas ban includes all elective abortions, including medication abortions, aka “the abortion pill.” (Ohio has attempted to postpone abortion services, and the governor of Mississippi won’t order a statewide stay-at-home order but is attempting to shut down the state’s only abortion clinic in the name of the coronavirus.)
Reproductive rights groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court on March 25 in a bid to lift the Texas ban. On March 30, a judge granted a restraining order to restore abortion access, but a March 31 ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will allow…
