A Texas state agency recently shared troubling figures showing that over 100 children aged 17 and younger, including some as young as 11, went to other states to have abortions in 2023.
In the first year of the state’s abortion ban, Texas Health and Human Services statistics revealed that six children aged 11 or younger, two children aged 12-13, and about 30 children aged 14-15 went out of state for an abortion. The others were aged 16 to 17 years.
The study only covered the first part of 2023, so the real numbers are probably higher than what it showed.
Texas’ ban on the treatment happened after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The state does not allow exceptions for rape or incest, which pushes many people to seek help in other states, even if they are below the legal age to agree.
A 2024 study found that Texas had the most pregnancies from rape among all states with total abortion bans. About 26,000 people became pregnant due to rape from July 2022 to January 2024.
Before the ban in August 2022, around 1,000 to 1,400 minors in Texas had the procedure each year, according to the statistics. But no one in that age group had the process in the state by 2023. Data from 2024 also indicates that children in Texas cannot have abortions.
Representative Mihaela Plesa, a Democrat from North Texas, made a statement on the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, expressing her worry about the ban.
“Today is the 52nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade.” Texas has one of the toughest abortion laws in the country, and doctors are worried about facing consequences even if the mother’s life is at risk. In this legislative session, we must carve out exceptions to protect the lives of our moms,” she said.
She posted on social media to inform her fans about the serious problems that young people are experiencing.
Doctors say that pregnant girls often face more problems than adult women, such as a higher chance of delivering early or developing preeclampsia, which is a dangerous condition that causes high blood pressure.
“These aren’t just numbers,” Plesa said in her post. “These are true stories about people going through tough experiences.” It has happened right here in my area in Plano. This is not just happening in poor neighborhoods or specific places. “This is happening everywhere in our state.”
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