March 20, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — A doctor committing abortions in Texas is self-quarantining, potentially leading to fewer abortions in his state. The Huffington Post reported that Joe Nelson is withdrawing from public life for two weeks, as he was unable to obtain a coronavirus test for himself after experiencing some symptoms.
Nelson told HuffPost “he was mostly worried about how his unplanned absence might affect women’s ability to get abortions in the state.”
“Potentially, it could have a huge impact. There are not that many doctors who provide abortion care in Texas. A lot of the doctors that do come in from out of state. In a situation where doctors are less likely to want to travel, if there’s no one to cover me, patients will have to wait,” Nelson explained.
Kim Schwartz of Texas Right to Life told LifeSiteNews, “We pray that all abortion facilities close during this outbreak. Let this be a time when the whole world comes to see the value of human Life.”
The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute is equally worried that fewer women might be able to have their children killed in parts of the country following the coronavirus outbreak.
“Health care providers are being diverted to help address the epidemic while also being most at risk of acquiring the disease. This may create a shortage of clinicians who can provide sexual and reproductive health services and increase wait times for patients in need,” the Guttmacher Institute stated.
“In places that already have a limited number of providers, this will put an extreme strain on capacity to serve patients, especially for non-emergency care.”
Shortages of contraceptives and drugs “due to disruptions in supply chains overall” could occur in the near future. “China, the second-largest exporter of pharmaceutical products in the world, has shut down several drug-manufacturing plants, which has in turn caused delays at Indian factories that produce generic medicines.”
Stocking up on items “like oral contraceptives, the contraceptive patch and ring, condoms, spermicide and lubrication,” considered “important” by the Guttmacher Institute, might be difficult not only because of shortages. Insurance companies “often limit reimbursement to just one month of prescription drugs at a time.” Accordingly, drugs to disrupt women’s fertility for subsequent months would not be free.
The institute also claimed that government funding is now focused on issues related to the coronavirus, “which would take funding away from reproductive health programs and decrease access for patients who rely on free or subsidized care. Likewise, the need for new precautionary equipment, training and protocols will further draw time and resources away from other work, including projects and programs related to sexual and reproductive health.”
Due to the closure of workplaces in many parts of the country, “people with low incomes may be unable to afford sexual and reproductive health care,” which always includes abortions.
The Guttmacher Institute speculated that “if pregnant women and infants are found to be at heightened risk” from the coronavirus, “that may prompt some people to avoid having children and could lead to increased demand for contraceptive and abortion services.”