When the pandemic struck Texas in April 2020, health care providers were forced to stop offering abortions but demand for them didn’t go away. Clinic staffers fielded an influx of anxious phone calls from confused people, talking each caller through their options: an out-of-state-referral, or holding out and waiting for the end of COVID-19 restrictions.
“My standard spiel was like, ‘I don’t know when we’re going to reopen. I have a list with your name on it, and as soon as I find out, I’m gonna let you know. But if you don’t want to wait, here’s where you can go,’” says Dr. Ghazaleh Moayedi, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Texas. She referred about 20 to 30 people during the month-long clinic closure to colleagues in Alabama, New Mexico, and as far away as Illinois and California.