Legislators look to end travel, medication abortion Houston teen relied on to end unwanted pregnancy

The Houston Landing recently published the story of a local 17-year-old who embarked on a physically and emotionally taxing journey to end her pregnancy. Reporter Dion Nissenbaum traveled 1,500 miles away with her to New Mexico. He joined Eyewitness News to discuss the results of his reporting and the abortion landscape for women and girls in the Houston area.

Abortion is banned in Texas, except when a pregnancy threatens the life of a pregnant person. Nissenbaum said his research revealed Houston women who want to travel out of state for an abortion face serious challenges. His work with a local clinic led him to the teenager referred to in his reporting as “J.”

RELATED: Texas OB-GYNs urge lawmakers to change abortion laws after reports on pregnant women’s deaths

She became pregnant unintentionally, and she nor her boyfriend felt prepared to be parents. Her sister, who works in the healthcare industry, helped J travel to New Mexico to receive a medication abortion. If J had taken the pills in Texas, Nissenbaum said her sister could have faced charges under the law for assisting in an abortion. He also talked with anti-abortion advocates who said they were largely uninterested in prosecuting people like J and her sister. They said they wished J’s sister would have steered her toward a crisis pregnancy center.

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