Abortion Laws differ between Texas and New Mexico

A new abortion center is set to open its doors in Las Cruces, New Mexico on Sept. 15.

The Texas company is opening an abortion clinic to help increase access near West Texas amid a restrictive new law.

The new Texas law, known as House Bill 2, bans abortions after 20 weeks, requires abortion doctors to obtain privileges at a nearby hospital, must meet the standards of hospital-style surgical centers, and clinics must have operating rooms air filtration systems and other standards that typically found in surgical settings.

While New Mexico’s regulations are less rigorous. New Mexico law does not set a time limit for how late an abortion can be performed, does not regulate parental involvement, and does not mandate waiting periods.

Deborah Taylor, with the Turning Point Pregnancy Help Center, said the list continues.

“You want to know your recovery time, doctor’s hospital privileges,” Taylor said. “These are things that abortion clinics do not always abide by and New Mexico does not hold them to a higher standard in abiding by.”

But supporters of the change say the new center in New Mexico say it is necessary.

“I see this as providing a safe medical environment for women to make their choice,” one supporter said.

Some clinics in Texas already stopped offering abortions after another part of the 2013 bill required doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals. This part of the law was upheld by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court in New Orleans, where the state will now seek a second reversal.

These new regulations are still currently on hold because a federal judge said these changes were unconstitutional. The judge also exempted clinics in El Paso and McAllen from a requirement that doctors need approved privileges at a nearby hospital.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is scheduled to hold a hearing on this bill on Sept. 12th.