AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Orders by the governors of Texas and Ohio to stop all non-essential surgeries in those states have unleashed a new battle over access to abortions during the coronavirus pandemic.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statewide order Sunday to curb the use of medical supplies hospitals will need as they prepare for escalating infections in the spreading of COVID-19.
The order bars hospitals from performing surgeries unless the patient faces an immediate risk for “serious adverse medical consequences or death."
An Abbott spokesman confirmed that would cover abortion in most cases.
In Ohio, clinics, abortion rights groups and some state lawmakers pushed back, saying abortions are both essential and time-sensitive.