Protesters held signs outside of the Texas state capitol, May 29, 2021 in Austin. Sergio Flores/Getty Images
Texas's new law prohibiting abortions after six weeks has been in effect since this month.
In a Washington Post Op-Ed, Dr. Alan Braid stated that he had performed an abortion beyond the limit.
He wrote, "I acted because i had a duty to care for this patient as I do all patients."
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According to a doctor, he performed an abortion in violation of Texas' new restrictive law. He also wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post that Saturday.
Dr. Alan Braid provides abortion care in San Antonio. He said that he spent almost 45 years in Texas as an OB/GYN. He delivered 10,000 babies, performed Pap smears, pelvic exams and performed abortions.
Braid wrote "Then, this Month, Everything Changed", citing the controversial Texas law, which took effect September 1, and banned abortions after six weeks. There were no exemptions for incest or rape.
He said that "it shut down approximately 80 percent of our abortion services" and added that the law allows him to sue for at least $10,000.
Braid claimed that he performed an abortifaction for a woman in her first trimester, but above the limits set by the new law.
He wrote that he acted out of duty to the patient as I do for all my patients and because she had a fundamental right to get this care. "I understood the potential legal consequences, but I wanted to ensure that Texas did not get away with trying to stop this outrageously unconstitutional law being tested."
Others in the state who offer abortions have stated that they refuse to perform abortions for most women who call them since the new law was implemented. Advocates for abortion rights claim that most women don't know they're pregnant until six weeks.
Braid claimed that he broke the law because he believes that abortion is an essential part of healthcare and because he can recall what it was like when he started his residency in 1972, just before Roe v. Wade.
He wrote, "At that hospital that year I saw three teenage girls die from illegal abortions." "I cannot just watch us go back to 1972," he said.
Business Insider has the original article.
