Texas women who say their abortions were denied or postponed during medical emergencies will be heard on national television tonight as part of a special with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer and senior Congressional correspondent Rachel Scott. talk about their own experiences.
The episode (an Impact x Nightline broadcast called “On the Blink”) features 18 women from 10 states where abortion is banned or restricted. The show originally premiered on Hulu in mid-December.
Since the 2022 Roe v. Wade decision, dozens of women have come forward to say that complications forced them to wait to the brink of death to obtain an abortion. Under Texas' three overlapping abortion bans, pregnant women can only have an abortion if they have a “life-threatening physical condition” or are at risk of “significant impairment of a major bodily function.” can receive.
In 2023, 20 women sued the state of Texas over an emergency medical exemption to the state's abortion ban, which plaintiffs say is too vague. The Texas Supreme Court heard arguments in the case in November but has not yet issued a decision.
In early December, another Texas woman, Kate Cox, sued the state to allow her to terminate her pregnancy, citing a fatal fetal diagnosis. The swirling legal battle ended just a week after the lawsuit was filed, with Cox leaving the state to get an abortion and the state Supreme Court being charged with deciding who is eligible under the state's ban. The court ruled that only doctors can. At the same time, the court said Cox did not meet the requirements to obtain an abortion within her state's borders.
How to watch ABC specials
when: Friday, January 5th, 7pm Central Time
tv set: ABC (WFAA-TV Ch. 8 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area)
Streaming: Hulu
