'If I just give you this money, can you give me this pill?': Women's Clinic closed for abortions

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- For the first time since it opened 42 years ago, Houston's Women's Clinic is closed for abortion care.

"This woman was crying, saying, 'Please, please, if I just give you this money, can you give me this pill?'" said Dr. Bernard Rosenfeld.

The waiting room, usually so busy that patients have to stand, is empty.

Patients are being turned away, and future appointments are canceled.

"Our hands are tied. We can't do anything. Doing illegal abortions is not an option for us," said a Registered Nurse, who only identified herself by her first name, Candy. "I just remember their stories. Nine times out of 10, it's for financial reasons. They can't bring a child into this world, and they're being very selfless, thinking of their child that they can't provide for."

Dr. Rosenfeld was in medical school before Roe v. Wade was decided.

"Routinely, we had women come in and die, or women that came back, and we had to end up doing hysterectomies on young girls because of sepsis or hemorrhaging. It was horrible," he said.

Since September, Texas has banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Houston's Women's Clinic has already been directing patients to other states.

Now, unable to even examine patients for abortions, that direction is their only service.

"It was hard enough for them to just get to a clinic, but to get to an airport to find another clinic," explained Dr. Rosenfeld. "And now the other clinics outside have been so busy. There's a two-week wait, a three-week wait, so you know if you're 11 weeks, now you're 14 or 15, and that makes it much more difficult."

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