- Staff at an abortion clinic in San Antonio, Texas, described the devastating scene after Roe fell.
- They said they had to tell people they could not get their abortion procedures done.
- The staff described people screaming, crying, and begging for help after being denied abortions.
Staff at an abortion clinic in Texas said they had to turn away people seeking abortions away just minutes after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday.
Speaking to The 19th, an independent news organization, clinic administrator Andrea Gallegos described how she had to turn away a dozen patients waiting in the lobby of the Alamo Women's Reproductive Services clinic in San Antonio, Texas.
Gallegos told The 19th that she and the clinic's staff had to tell the people gathered that, because of the ruling, "unfortunately, your geographical location affects your bodily autonomy."
Per the outlet, Gallegos described the scene at the clinic as being one of "complete despair," with people screaming, crying, and begging for help.
Gallegos also told The 19th that the clinic staff had to contact 20 people who had appointments that day, some of whom were caught by surprise.
"These are patients that oftentimes are already mothers, they are already taking care of children, some are living paycheck-to-paycheck," Gallegos said, per The 19th.
"These are the folks that are going to be forced into having another child if they can't make it out of state, and those effects, all the way around, are just devastating," Gallegos told the outlet. "Several say, 'How am I supposed to do this? I took off work to be here today and now you want me to travel?'"
Texas was one of the states that halted abortions after Roe v. Wade was overturned due to trigger laws banning the procedure. This has resulted in people with abortions scheduled on or after the date of the ruling having their procedures canceled.
Under the Texas "trigger law," abortions are banned in the state, with the only exceptions being if the pregnant person's life is in jeopardy or if the person faces "substantial impairment of major bodily function," per the Texas Tribune.
According to public opinion polls, most Americans are opposed to the overturning of Roe v. Wade.