On September 1, 2021, Texas’s controversial “fetal heartbeat” bill went into effect. This law prohibits abortions in Texas after a fetal heartbeat can be detected – which is usually about 6 weeks into pregnancy. For many women, that’s about two weeks after a missed period, and most often before a women discovers an unplanned pregnancy. This law will greatly reduce the number of women who are eligible to get an abortion, and provides strict penalties for medical professionals that do not comply with the law.
If you are a woman in Texas – and raising a child is not part of your immediate plans – here are a few things you should know.
Preventing an Unplanned Pregnancy Is Key
If you are sexually active but not ready to be a parent, now is the time to take preventative steps. There is a wide range of both hormonal and non-hormonal birth control options available in Texas – many of which may be free or low cost for you. Find a Title X clinic near you that can help with birth control
Don’t Wait to Take a Pregnancy Test
If you’ve had unprotected sex or birth control failure, it’s important to take a pregnancy test early. Many pregnancy tests can begin detecting pregnancy hormones four days before a missed period. For women with irregular periods, the earliest you can expect a reliable result is 10 days after unprotected sex.
Knowing about a pregnancy early has a lot of advantages. It gives you more time to explore and carefully consider your options. You can also begin making lifestyle changes – like cutting out alcohol and taking vitamins – that may affect your health or your baby’s development.
Pregnancy tests can be found at most grocery and drug stores in Texas. Dollar stores like Dollar General and Walmart both sell pregnancy tests for $1.00 or less.
There are also numerous organizations across Texas that offer free pregnancy testing. Check out our lists of places in Austin, Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
Know Your Options If You Do Get Pregnant
The first step to dealing with an unexpected pregnancy is to start exploring the options you do have for your baby after he or she is born. At this time the only choices for a woman facing an unplanned pregnancy in the state of Texas are parenting or placement for adoption.
Parenting: Raising him or her on your own, with a partner, or with the support of your family. This may seem overwhelming, but there are organizations that can help provide the resources you need to provide for your child’s needs.
Adoption: Placing your child with another family permanently to be raised by them. Most adoptions today are open adoptions, which means you’ll build a relationship with the adoptive family and be honored as the child’s birth parent.
Please note: Due to Texas Senate Bill 8, Sec. 171.208 Adoption Advocates is unable to discuss abortion as part of our options counseling if you are more than 6 weeks pregnant, effective September 1, 2021.
