Oklahoma abortion clinics flooded with Texas patients amid new state law - KOKH FOX25
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — A new Texas law banning most abortions is already causing a surge of women to start seeking care out-of-state.
"Calls that we're taking are up about tenfold," said Zack Gingrich-Gaylord with Trust Women, one of just three abortion clinics in Oklahoma.
Gingrich-Gaylord says Texas woman are flooding their phone lines as clinics in their state are being forced to turn patients away.
"I was just down in Oklahoma City this week and we had about 50 patients on the schedule and 33 of those were from Texas and as far south as Galveston and Corpus Christi," said Gingrich-Gaylord.
He says they normally perform 20 to 30 abortions a day. However, since Texas’ new law went into effect, that number has nearly doubled.
This has strained the clinic, pushing them to extend hours, hire more staff, and for the first time ever, put a cap on the amount of patients they can accept each day.
"The surrounding states just cannot sustain that kind of capacity," he said.
He estimates those making the trek from Texas are averaging around 700miles round trip. A barrier he believes will only put a stop to safe abortions.
"You know when you're pregnant with a child that you don't want or that you can't afford, that's a very desperate situation for people and they will act out of desperation," he explained.
Although Trust Women has been preparing for the influx for weeks, Gingrich-Gaylord says Oklahoma was already underserved.
"Texas has essentially written what access looks like not only for Texas but for the surrounding states as well," he said.
The clinic currently has no available appointments for the next three to four weeks.
On top of that, soon they might not be an option altogether, with Oklahoma’s own abortion laws set to go into effect this November.
"This is entirely unnecessary. It's unnecessary and it's cruel," said Gingrich-Gaylord.
A number of advocacy groups have already filed lawsuits looking to block Oklahoma's new laws from taking effect.
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source: https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-abortion-clinics-flooded-with-texas-patients-amid-new-state-law
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