LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Dr. Janet Cathey, the lead physician at the Planned Parenthood in Little Rock, Arkansas, said her team spent weeks prepping for the end of legal abortions in her state in anticipation of the Supreme Court striking down Roe v. Wade, but she still couldn't quite wrap her head around how quickly it all ended with the ruling Friday morning.
"I just thought we'd have Friday and Saturday," she told ABC News'"Start Here" podcast."I was just banking [on it]. I told patients, 'you've got to get in here. If you get in here this week, I think we'll be OK.'"
Despite all the news about Roe being potentially overturned, many of the patients weren't looped into the news enough to know this possibility was even on the radar, according to Cathey. Anyone who performs or attempts to perform an abortion can be charged with a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000, under the Arkansas Human Life Protection Act. The law provides an exception for when the patient's life is in danger but does not provide exceptions for rape or incest.
Cathey added that many patients expressed concerns that they might be arrested or prosecuted for crossing state lines to get an abortion. Rutledge said that she would focus on providing more resources to support the adoption of those babies, but didn't give specifics. Cathey and abortion rights proponents have criticized what they see as a lack of a safety net for those forced to carry a baby to term.