Texas and Ohio suspend abortions citing coronovirus

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Texas and Ohio have ordered doctors to suspend abortions, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The two states ordered a stop of non-essential surgeries, which is defined in Ohio’s order as “any procedure that can be delayed without undue risk to the current or future health of a patient”.

Both states cited the need to preserve medical supplies as the reasoning behind the decision and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton clarified that abortion providers were not classed as essential.

Mr Paxton explained that “no one is exempt from the governor’s executive order on medically unnecessary surgeries and procedures, including abortion providers”, before adding: “Those who violate the governor’s order will be met with the full force of the law.”

Kathy Miller, the president of abortion rights group the Texas Freedom Network criticised the decision but told AFP that “it’s completely unsurprising to see this attorney general use any excuse to push his ideological agenda”.

Bethany McCorkle, a spokeswoman for the state attorney general told AFP that “this is not an abortion issue. A letter was also sent to a urology group that was allegedly performing elective surgeries”.

Jennifer Branch, a lawyer who has represented abortion providers in Ohio for 20 years, told The Independent that anti-abortion activists are using the pandemic to pursue their political agenda.

Ms Branch added: “The state of Ohio has been trying to ban abortion in many different ways for years. In the past year, they have passed four new abortion bans. There are four suits pending against the state of Ohio.