Abortions down by over 4,000 cases in Texas as a result of tough pro-life laws

Protesters participate in an anti-abortion rally at the State Capitol in Austin, Texas, on July 8, 2013.Reuters

Abortions in Texas decreased by more than 4,000 cases in 2013 from 2012, which officials attribute to anti-abortion laws—some of the toughest in the United States—passed in the state in 2013.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), there were 63,849 abortions in the state in 2013, down by 4,449 from 68,298 in 2012 and 72,470 in 2011.

It was in 2013 when anti-abortion laws came into effect in Texas, according to LifeSiteNews.

"We're now seeing the full impact of pro-life laws in Texas. The number of abortions has declined as life-saving legislation goes into effect," said Texas Right to Life Communications Director Melissa Conway.

Texas has a law that mandates a 24-hour waiting period and mandatory ultrasound procedure before an abortion can be held.

It also has a law that requires abortion providers to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and for abortion clinics to have upgraded facilities. However, this law was temporarily suspended by the US Supreme Court.

The report also said partial defunding of Planned Parenthood was a cause in the drop of abortions between 2012 and 2013.

According to Guttmacher Institute, in Texas, "public funding is available for abortion only in cases of life endangerment, rape or incest."

The Texas department reported that a total of 553 girls between 11 and 15 years old got abortions in 2013. That same year also saw 6,484 girls between 16 and 19 years old as well as 52,661 women between ages 20 and 39 undergoing abortions.

Based on race, Hispanics had 24,063 abortions in 2013 followed by whites with 16,969; blacks with 15,719; and Asians with 2,850.

A total of 51,103 who got abortions were not married while 10,674 were married.

Abortion clinics were No. 1 facility where women got abortions with 46,826 cases, followed by ambulatory surgical centre with 14,232, hospitals with 132, physicians with 41 and out-of-state with 681.