Since the Roe ruling a gynecology clinic in Texas has received increased requests for permanent sterilization: 'I sense that they're scared'

• A Texas women's health clinic says it has had dozens of requests for sterilization since Friday.
• Tubal ligation is a common procedure that involves blocking both fallopian tubes.

A women's health clinic in Austin, Texas, has received dozens of requests for permanent sterilizations after Friday's decision by the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that established a constitutional right to an abortion.

After the Women's Health Domain closed Friday evening for the weekend, it received 109 new patient requests, most of which were requesting tubal ligation, or permanent sterilization.

Dr. Tyler Handcock, an OB-GYN who runs the practice, told Insider he was in disbelief, as the clinic has been open for only about a month.

"I sense that they're scared, they're anxious, they're nervous," he said of his patients. "They're fearful that other rights are going to be taken away. Maybe they're afraid contraception in general will be taken away down the road. So they want to take care of this now because they don't feel like anybody is supporting them."

In the next few weeks, reproductive rights in Texas will dramatically change. The state has a "trigger law" in place that means abortions will be banned from the moment of fertilization. This is set to go into effect 30 days after the Supreme Court's judgment. While the trigger law prohibits prosecuting a person who undergoes an abortion, earlier this year, a 26-year-old Texan woman was charged with murder over a "self-induced abortion."

Texas will also provide few exceptions meant to save the life of a pregnant person or prevent "substantial impairment of major bodily function," which is why more Texas residents are weighing their reproductive-health options.

From one or 2 requests to more than a hundred

Handcock said most requests for tubal ligation were from people in their 20s. Before Friday, he said it was typical for the clinic to receive one to two requests related to this procedure a week.

Tubal ligation is a common procedure that involves blocking both fallopian tubes. The benefits of it are nearly zero ectopic pregnancies — in which a fertilized egg implants itself outside the womb — and it can also decrease the risk of ovarian cancer.

The surgery consists of a small, 5-millimeter laparoscopic incision, but Handcock says it requires complex counseling before the operation because it isn't reversible.

"The biggest risk is the risk of regret," he told Insider.

Because of this, Handcock said, his clinic has conversations with patients about the procedure, even asking them on the day of surgery whether they're sure they want to have it.

"If we have a patient who's 25 years old and wants to get permanent birth control, well, that's all fine," he said. "Let's talk about it, and let's go over your options. It's safe, it's ethical, it's legal, but there is a risk of regret. And the younger you are, the higher that risk of regret is obviously."

The procedure is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, and anyone above the age of 21 can access it.

'I think that if it's happening here, that means it's happening everywhere else'

Handcock said the practice would do its best to accommodate all of the requests by working longer hours and holding group appointments to see as many patients as it can.

Handcock is anticipating more requests and believes other clinics like his are fielding calls about this procedure.

"I think that if it's happening here, that means it's happening everywhere else," he told Insider. "Red or blue, I think that people are scared because under it all, this is a human-rights issue that's been taken away. And I think people truly are fearful for other human rights being eroded, whether it's minority rights, gay rights. I think we're all at risk."

Most patients Handcock typically sees who want permanent sterilization have already had children and are done with childbearing, but he expects this to change in light of the Supreme Court's decision.

"I think it's going to be a huge shift with this thunderous change in our society as of Friday, where we're going to see patients who have never had kids request permanent sterilization," he said. "And I think that's OK. I'm an advocate for them as well."