CNS News–Since Texas enacted its near-total abortion ban in July 2022, a new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has revealed disturbing statistics related to rape-related pregnancies in the state. According to the research, an estimated 26,310 rape-related pregnancies have occurred in Texas since the implementation of the abortion ban.
Texas Leads in Rape-Related Pregnancies: The study indicates that Texas accounted for the largest share, approximately 45%, of rape-related pregnancies reported by U.S. states since the ban was put in place. Texas, being the most populous U.S. state with no exception for rape or incest in its abortion ban, faces a significant challenge in addressing these pregnancies.
National Impact: Since states began banning abortion care following the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, the study estimates that 519,980 reproductive-aged girls and women have been victims of rape. Shockingly, more than one in ten of these survivors, totaling 64,570, have become pregnant.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s defenses of the absence of a rape exception in the state’s abortion ban have been challenged by the study’s findings. Governor Abbott had previously stated that the ban would “eliminate all rapists from the streets.” However, the research demonstrates that rape-related pregnancies have continued to occur.
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Additionally, Governor Abbott had argued that rape victims could access emergency contraception, such as Plan B pills, to prevent pregnancy. Advocates for women’s health pointed out the challenges faced by poor and uninsured women in obtaining such medication. The study supports these concerns, highlighting that few abortions were recorded in the 14 states that enacted total abortion bans, even those with purported rape exceptions.
Dr. Samuel Dickman, the lead author of the study and a researcher at the City University of New York’s Research Foundation, emphasized that so-called exceptions in abortion bans do not necessarily help pregnant survivors get the care they need. Survivors deserve the right to make informed and personal decisions about their pregnancy, but state-level abortion bans, even with exceptions, limit their autonomy.
The study also sheds light on the challenges faced by survivors of sexual assault. Many survivors have experienced intimate partner or family violence, which adds additional barriers to complying with legal reporting requirements for in-state exceptions or obtaining out-of-state care. The researchers stressed the importance of not further undermining survivors’ reproductive autonomy through state policies.
