When Senate Bill 8 took effect in September, banning abortions in Texas at six weeks of pregnancy and empowering private citizens to enforce the law, abortion providers expected patient traffic to plummet. Knowing that less than 20 percent of abortions in the state took place before the six-week mark, some clinics adjusted accordingly, and chose not to replace the large group of staff members who left their jobs in the fall for reasons related to the new law. The impact of S.B. 8 was immediate: The number of abortions performed in Texas fell by half.

But then something surprising happened. As news of the law spread, patients eager to receive treatment before the six-week deadline started calling clinics earlier in their pregnancies, sometimes even before a positive pregnancy test. The influx maxed out capacity at clinics that had started operating with what Nelson called a “skeleton crew.” Patients started waiting as long as two weeks for an appointment, doctors said, a delay that has disqualified many who otherwise would have been able to access abortion.

People seeking abortions in Texas were already up against an extremely tight deadline with the new six-week limit imposed by S.B. 8. Once they miss their period — if their menstrual cycle is regular, and they’re tracking it carefully — they have less than two weeks to schedule an appointment, come in for an initial consultation, and come back, at least 24 hours later, as required by law, to get their abortion.