How to Solve The Texas Abortion Law? Give All Women Who Want Choice A Ticket To A Provider Out Of State

By Donald A. Collins | 11 September 2021
Church and State

A controversial Texas law that bars abortions at six weeks went into effect after the Supreme Court and a federal appeals court failed to rule on pending emergency requests brought by abortion providers. (Credit: YouTube / screengrab)

The two Texas laws enacted by its legislators and signed by its Governor this past week will require legal or legislative remedies which the midterm election might solve, but nothing is certain. Time is crucial particularly for the unserved women in Texas.

These laws represent a willful abrogation of mercy and democracy and clearly stamp that GOP wing in Texas as fledgling neo-Nazis.

We will have to see what other states join them.

Meantime, the new Texas voting law will await resolution, perhaps with the midterm elections, but with the repressive Texas abortion law likely to be long in litigation, I am certain the leading abortion choice non-profits, Planned Parenthood, NARAL and the many private abortion providers who have so safely and inexpensively done their jobs for decades have already started to seek a practical solution until Roe can be righted again.

Look at the US abortion numbers. They have been declining for years, so that there are now less than 900,000 a year, over 80 percent done in the first trimester.

Solution: A first trimester costs no more than $500 and a plane ticket plus other expenses perhaps $1000 to give women a chance for a choice and even a nice holiday in San Francisco or many other places! After all we are for choice!

You can read about the services and fees of a well-established clinic provider here.

We are reminded of the bad old days before Roe with passing of Pat Maginnes this past week. Read her obituary here.

Many religions understand the humanity of offering choice. You can watch our film “Whose Choice?” on this subject on our web site. One narrator on our film is Sarah Weddington who was the youngest woman to argue a case before the Supreme Court when she argued for Roe in 1973.

Let’s say Roe were largely prohibited in the US. Much litigation already and more would surely delay complete shutdown.

Assume 900,000 abortions in the US a year, 80 percent plus are first trimester which means there are 720,000 first trimesters that cost $500 and the average plane ticket and other expenses at $1000 then $1500 times 720,000 equals about $1 billion. But then I suspect there will always be a state or states open for service in the US until Roe is reaffirmed again.

Then there also will always be some open abortion jurisdictions either in Mexico or Canada. If no US state allowed abortions the cost of sending women out of the USA would be cheap compared to the expense of our trillion dollar failed police actions!

After all we spend a billion for literally thousands of other things or waste it on foreign police actions, that sum seems comparatively miniscule in our wealthy country with the private sector boasting many billionaires and foundations worth billions more. A single F22 stealth fighter jet costs $150 million and the US Defense budget dwarfs them all.

The number of Texas abortions per year? About 60,000. That number times $1500 equals $90 million. Hardly a blip in cost to show these ideologues how stupid they are to think they could get away with this immoral attack.

Bet liberal foundations would fight for a chance to chime into solving this problem and the recipients of their generosity would love the chance to go on an early abortion holiday in NYC or San Francisco or even see their family in Chicago!

Abortions are always available to those with money. Sadly the Justice Department lawsuit announced on 9/8/21 will likely fail and worse the Supreme Court may pick the upcoming Mississippi suit as a way to approve a horrible alternative to Roe.

Will a Democratic Congress act? Probably, but now the Senate can’t get 10 Republican Senators to join the Democrat Senator to avoid a filibuster.

Again, the obvious solution: Offer to pay women the cost of getting an abortion in a state where it is legal.

As I noted before, I bet abortion choice leaders have already put such a proposal together and plenty of money will come pouring in.

When, years ago, I was responsible for trying to find abortion providers before and after Roe, finding money was not the problem. Given 48 years of Roe’s success, this funding for women should be easy.

I was a founder, first Chair and President of Ipas which did an amazingly effective job of helping women in many foreign countries to obtain safe, free early abortions.

With great assistance from a great many people, I also identified and my employer foundation then funded important abortion providers all over the USA.

Now with the electronic age and people wielding their cell phones, coordination of such a simple program should be easy for all providers.

So let’s hope these leaders will emulate the late Pat Maginnis and not wait as ladies who are not served in Texas and soon in other neo-Nazi clone states now need our help.

The political implications for the GOP of the Texas laws will likely be significant.

Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC, has spent over 40 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013, Trump Becoming Macbeth: Will our democracy survive? and We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?.

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