After Governor Perry signed the omnibus anti-abortion bill House Bill 2 into law, a timeline was put in place for when the law would go into effect. The first three provisions of the bill, the part requiring doctors who provide abortion care to have hospital admitting privileges, the 20-week ban, and the way in which the abortion pill is administered to patients as well as its FDA regulated dosage, are set to be implemented on October 29th. The other part of the bill, which goes into effect next year, requires all clinics, whether new or pre-existing, to build their facilities up to ambulatory surgical center standards. That’s where the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) comes in. 

The role that DSHS plays in the implementation of HB 2 is interpreting the laws language into actual standards in which clinics will have to comply with the law. This means that any public comment that you submit will help the DSHS decide on how to adopt revisions to HB 2 that could help women’s access to healthcare in Texas stay open. 

Until October 25th, you can submit public comments here. Use the sample letter and add in your own personal message in the middle section. Tell the DSHS that an ambulatory surgical center is an unnecessary building requirement for clinics that already provide some of the safest procedures known to medicine.