New abortion curbs stoke patient fears on clinic availability

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Abortion clinics are facing protesters emboldened by a flurry of restrictive new state laws as they reassure confused patients that the laws have yet to take effect, abortion providers said.

“We have actually had many people calling and say, ‘Are you open? Are you still seeing patients? Is abortion now illegal? Will something happen to me if I come for care?’” said Dr. Willie Parker, one of two doctors providing abortions at the Alabama Women’s Center in Huntsville.

It is one of only three abortion clinics in the state, and the only one that provides abortions when a woman is up to 20 weeks pregnant. Some patients drove from Mississippi and other neighboring states because of a shortage of clinics.

“Our doors are open, and we continue to be here for women in our communities, and we intend to keep it that way,” said Dr. Yashica Robinson, an obstetrician and gynecologist who provides abortions at the clinic.

Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have passed laws that prohibit abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected — about six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant. Missouri and Louisiana are close to enacting similar bans.

None of the laws has taken effect, and all are expected to be blocked while legal challenges work their way through the courts.

Some lawmakers hope two new conservative justices nominated by President Donald Trump will provide the votes for the Supreme Court to overturn its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

That prospect has energized protesters at Mississippi’s only abortion clinic and made them more aggressive, with 100 people gathering on some days — double the usual number, clinic owner Diane Derzis said.

“They know they’re winning, and they don’t care what they need to do,” she said.

Clinic administrator Shannon Brewer took a call from a pregnant woman wanting to schedule an abortion for next week. Brewer told her about the requirement for two trips to the clinic — the first for state-mandated counseling and the second, at least 24 hours later, for the procedure.

She told the woman that no bags, purses or children are allowed. The ban on bags and purses is because of security concerns and the ban on children is because of protesters, Brewer explained after she was off the phone.

“People are screaming at the women as they come in,” she said. “That’s not good for a child.”

In Arkansas, lawmakers passed at least nine new laws with implications for abortion access during this year’s legislative session, according to previous news reports.

Unless they are challenged in court, those laws include a ban on abortions in Arkansas after 18 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies; an expansion of the waiting period to obtain an abortion to three days from two after a first clinic visit; and an immediate ban on abortion if Roe v. Wade were to be overturned.

Because most of the state’s new rules haven’t yet taken effect, there hasn’t been noticeable confusion among patients about restrictions at Little Rock Family Planning Services, one of the state’s three clinics that offer abortion services.

“Most patients are unaware [of] what’s been passed,” clinical director Lori Williams said.

While she said anti-abortion protesters appear at the clinic almost every day, she hasn’t seen an uptick in their activity in the wake of recent legislative actions.

At Planned Parenthood’s clinics in Fayetteville and Little Rock, Arkansas organizer Christina Mullinax said the more noticeable response to the climate has been from the organization’s supporters.

“The reaction that we’re really seeing is just a groundswell of support, and the national narrative just seems to have increased people’s desire to speak out,” she said.

There haven’t been any recent changes to policies regarding what visitors can bring to those clinics, but “the safety of our patients and staff is always our top priority, so we just continue to monitor that from day to day,” Mullinax said.

Williams was unwilling to discuss whether the clinic had implemented new restrictions on what one could bring to a visit, saying it was an internal security matter.

Abortion rights supporters also have planned a rally in Little Rock, which is set for Thursday evening near Planned Parenthood’s 12th Street clinic.