Granite City abortion provider fears Texas ban will spur other restrictions
A week after a new Texas law banning abortions after six weeks went into effect, a metro-east clinic that provides abortions has fielded its first call from a patient in Texas.
Alison Dreith, deputy director of Hope Clinic for Women in Granite City, said that while they’ve only had one patient from Texas call, the clinic has received more questions from others about what the ban means.
“They’re seeing headlines or seeing news on social media and they don’t necessarily know how it impacts them, or the state they live in, or where they’re seeking care,” Dreith said in an interview Thursday. “We’re fielding a lot of that anxiety.”
While Hope Clinic operates out of Illinois and follows Illinois laws, it’s just a 10-minute drive from St. Louis. Dreith said about 55% of their patients are Missourians.
“It’s very weird to be a border clinic,” she said. “ … We feel like a clinic that operates in two different states.”
In 2019, Missouri banned abortions after eight weeks. Dreith said Hope Clinic staff did a lot to prepare for an influx of out-of-state patients then, bringing on new staff and more physicians. The 10,000-square-foot building was built to see about 10,000 patients a year; Dreith said they’re only seeing half of that number, so there’s room for services to expand.
Missouri Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, an Arnold Republican and one of the state’s leading anti-abortion legislators, plans to offer a bill similar to the Texas law, according to the Kansas City Star. In addition to banning abortion at six weeks — earlier than many people are even aware that they’re pregnant — the Texas law allows citizens to sue providers and others who assist people getting the procedure.
“We know once one state passes a ban, similar legislation gets pushed around to other legislatures,” Dreith said. “It’s not just Missouri we’re worried about.”
Missouri was one of four states passing similar legislation in 2019. That same year, Illinois passed a sweeping abortion access protection bill.
“We know we’re going to be an island of access, should more states or clinics be chipped away of their constitutional right to provide care,” Dreith said.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker reiterated his support to providing abortions last week, after the Texas law went into effect.
“A lot of us have been doing this for a very long time or have had abortions ourselves, and it takes an emotional toll,” Dreith said. “A real fear, especially coming out of Texas, is almost entirely banning abortion outright. It just makes you have to do more work too to keep your doors open.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2021 at 12:38 PM.