Video: With abortions restricted in Texas, many leave the state to seek care at crowded Kansas clinic

Earlier this year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed the most restrictive abortion law in the country into law. The new restrictions ban abortion as soon as cardiac activity is detected in an embryo. This can happen as early as six weeks into pregnancy, before most people even know they are pregnant.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled earlier this month that the ban will continue to be enforced while legal challenges proceed.

Pregnant people who are unable to get an abortion in Texas due to the new restrictions are choosing to travel out of state for the procedure. While clinics in neighboring states like Oklahoma and Louisiana fill up with Texas patients, pregnant Texans are finding appointments at the Trust Women health clinic in Wichita, Kansas. Up to half of the patients at Trust Women’s Wichita clinic are from out of state, with a large proportion from Texas.

The Texas Tribune visited Trust Women’s Wichita clinic to learn more about the Texans visiting the clinic and the staffers providing care. While Texans scheduled for procedures during the Tribune’s visit did not ultimately show for their appointments, workers at the clinic said that Texas patients have told them about the compounded stress of seeking an abortion outside of their home state.