tonight -- >> so you can just have a seat right here. >> the appointment, an intimate journey. one young texas woman -- >> you didn't plan to be pregnant at this period of your life? >> absolutely not. >> sharing some of the most personal moments of her life. crossing state lines to have an abortion. and taking us with her inside the clinic. >> it's my body, and it's my choice. >> the restrictive new law at the epicenter of the battle. >> no matter what, an abortion is taking a life, a human life. >> anti-abortion advocates hopeful they can change the law of the land. >> roe v. wade belongs in the trash heap of history, it's time for roe to go. >> this special edition of "nightline," "the appointment,"

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the clock is ticking and this texas college student can feel every second pass like a lifetime. >> you can just have a seat right here. >> it's like, i'm pregnant, i'm trying to get an abortion -- >> reporter: for thousands in this state, these are desperate times. >> drowning is the best word to

describe it is drowning. >> abortion rights battle playing out in texas. th hhl restrictive abortion law. >> thousands protesting in cities across america. >> reporter: tonight, a deeply intimate journey crossing state lines. >> now it's a waiting game. >> reporter: from texas, where a new law banning abortion at 6 weeks is pushing women to travel hundreds of miles. >> no one talks about this process. >> reporter: to mississippi where one clinic sits at the center of a supreme court case that could forever change the right to choose. >> there aren't any laws on the books in any state regulating men's bodies. it's sexist, it's unequal, and it's wrong. >> reporter: one young woman pulls back the curtain, revealing the lengths people will go, the hurdles they will jump, in order to have choice. >> my body is not their property.

my name's maddie. i am a senior in college. i just turned 21. >> they moved from it online lab to in-person lab, but i don't know where the lab is. >> does it say? >> i would say i'm a pretty typical college kid. wake up, go to work or class, depending on the day. >> tell me a little bit about what's going on. >> well, i am 13 weeks pregnant right now. and i'm not in a place to have a baby. >> you didn't plan to be pregnant at this period in your life? >> absolutely not. i was in a committed relationship. but things happened. it didn't work out. but i was on birth control, i didn't want a family. >> i think people watching this may have the question of, if you were on birth control, how could you possibly be pregnant? >> birth control is not 100%. i had been not sleeping and not eating and nauseous for a few weeks. i thought it was just stress of

life until i took one test, and it came out a clear plus sign from the beginning. and i was -- devastated. >> what was the point when you realized that you wanted to go forward with an abortion procedure? >> i would say it probably took between two and three minutes of thinking before i knew that that was going to be my choice. >> reporter: but this is texas. in 2021, a new world thanks to a new law called senate bill 8, which bans abortion as early as 6 weeks into pregnancy. >> at 6 weeks you didn't even know you were pregnant? >> not even close. i was still living my life as regular and as carefree of a college kid as i could be. >> reporter: after several positive pregnancy tests, maddie booked an appointment at planned parenthood. >> when she told me that i was measuring at 10 1/2 weeks, i just cried.

i was heartbroken. and terrified. i immediately knew that any chance i had of being able to have this procedure done in texas was gone. i started researching with the materials that planned parenthood gave me and looked into louisiana, and louisiana was booked out three weeks. >> three weeks? >> yes. i called alabama and kansas and oklahoma and vegas and georgia and tennessee. >> how many clinics would you say you called altogether? >> easily 30, if not more. >> reporter: the earliest appointment she could find, 400 miles away in mississippi. did you realize the significance of that clinic? >> no. i honestly didn't find out until a friend said, did you know that that's the only clinic in mississippi that's performing abortions? >> reporter: jackson women's health isn't just the state's

last abortion clinic, it's also at the center of a potentially historic case before the supreme court. shapeccohaty naon. >> the bible says -- >> don't stand with the sinners go home. >> reporter: and possibly to overturn roe v. wade. >> i think they've gone too far. >> reporter: shannon brewer has been working here 20 years. she's been the clinic director since 2010. >> the new texas law is not deterring people from getting an abortion. we've been even busier. because now we're seen seeing a lot more patients from texas. we've almost doubled our capacity. our phones are ringing nonstop because of this. >> reporter: maddie was one of those calls. and since she had to go out of state, she needed help. so she reached out to her parents. >> it was like, okay, i'm pregnant. i'm sorry. because at that moment i felt like i was a disappointment. >> that was the farthest from

the truth. >> reporter: maddie's mom asked not to reveal their identity in order to protect their family. >> as a parent, what has been the most difficult part? >> i'm angry. not at her. i'm angry with governor abbott. i'm angry that men have decided this is what's best for women. >> what message do you have for the texas lawmakers who backed this law? >> my body is not their property. it's mine. i am in charge of myself. in every possible way. >> i really didn't sleep. because my mind was just a wreck. there are so many emotions going on at once that it was a blur. the anxiety was still there. the frustration was still there. the fear of the unknown. the drive that morning -- i tried to keep it light.

trying to keep as much pressure and stress off as possible. the entire flight, i was trying not to cry. i had to keep in mind that i was doing this for me. this is my future on the line. it's my body on the line. it's a lot to take in. >> welcome to jackson. >> i was very fortunate when i showed up to the women's health. there were only a few protesters. and that's when it started to get a little bit heavier and more real. the minute that i walked into the clinic i was like, this is happening.

there's so much waiting in this entire process. just getting ready. i had one of the most amazing nurses. >> my name is jane, and i'm a nurse. i'm going to help you get ready for your procedure today. >> she was so sweet and kind. >> and your pulse is a little fast, which makes sense because -- >> she went through everything step by step. >> then the two little white pills -- >> making sure that we knew what was going on. >> the other one will help a little bit with the anxiety. i'm going to have you sit in here. >> after i changed into the robe, i waited about 30 minutes before they gave me the medication that started the process. started the waiting game. >> would you like a magazine to look at or anything? >> yeah. >> i just sat and watched the clock.

wishing that the time would go by faster. >> i just had the medicine for thinning out the cervix and dilating it. i have to sit and wait an hour to an hour and a half before they'll check and see if i'm ready for them to perform the procedure. >> do you feel secure in your decision? >> yeah. my decision hasn't wavered. it's my body, and it's my choice. i don't think it's right for people to try and convince others when it's not their life that's about to change. no one talks about this process. they don't talk about how it starts, what medicines you take, what is the expectation and the time frame. i'm glad that i'm able to kind of shine a light and get people

a little sense of control back that i feel i've been lacking in this process. waiting for my turn to go into the room was so heavy. because you're sitting there knowing that there's a girl in there before you, watching her come out, seeing that thumbs-up from her that she was doing okay after it -- that put a little bit of ease on my nerves. the most comforting part during that entire process was being able to ask them questions. i asked them, once the procedure had started, how much longer of this? and immediately they said, this much longer. only a couple more minutes. you're doing amazing. and then finally hearing, "we're done, it's over."

>> we got in the car. and we started making our way to the airport. got on the flight. and i finally slept. i looked out and i was like, i'm home. i'm so close. i can put on comfy pjs and just go to bed. i'd just gotten home and my mom looks at me and goes, "you will

not believe what i was just sent." >> breaking news, a federal judge has blocked enforcement of the texas law, the most restrictive abortion -- >> texas clinics resuming abortion services after a federal judge blocked the state's 6-week abortion ban from being enforced. >> i just face-palmed. i was just like -- really? like, now? finally, after everything i went through? th type 2 diabetes are waking up to what's possible with rybelsus®. with rybelsus®. with rybelsus®. ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ you are my sunshine ♪ ♪ my only sunshine... ♪ rybelsus® is a pill that lowers rybelsus® is a pill that lowers rybelsus® is a pill that lowers blood sugar in three ways. increases insulin when you need it... increases insulin when you need it... increases insulin when you need it... decreases sugar... decreases sugar... decreases sugar... and slows food. the majority of people taking rybelsus® lowered their blood sugar and reached an a1c of less than 7. rybelsus® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't take rybelsus® if you or your family don't take rybelsus® if you or your family don't take rybelsus® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer,

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>> reporter: 21-year-old maddie, a texas college student who traveled hundreds of miles ouch state to get an abortion, is back home recovering. >> i have to kind of start collecting my thoughts on everything. and then just the relief after, that it was finally done. >> reporter: just as her personal journey is ending, the public fight is intensifying. at the same time maddie's plane was landing back in houston, the very law that forced her to go to mississippi for her procedure was blocked. >> of course the day of my procedure, and finally getting home, we found out this huge news. >> reporter: a federal judge calling senate bill 8 unconstitutional. >> to think that this could all jst be overturned again and it goes back into place as soon as tomorrow? really scares me. >> reporter: and that's what happened. just a day later, a federal appeals court allowed the ban to resume for now while the u.s. department of justice appeals.

in the state capitol, outside a planned parenthood clinic, prayers continue as usual. >> i don't think there's ever too early of a restriction on abortion. because no matter what, an abortion is taking a life, a human life. >> reporter: for the last ten years, heather gardner has trained what she calls sidewalk advocates to pray outside abortion facilities across the country. she says sb-8 has benefits but acknowledges some texans will find ways around the law. >> we're very well aware that women will go to other states to have abortions. we want women to not have to feel so desperate that they have to do that. >> reporter: with all eyes on texas right now, anti-abortion rights advocates are using the law as a rallying cry. >> texas' law is historic. it is the most legal protection in effect right now across the country for human lives. >> reporter: lila rose is the president of live action. do you hope that this becomes a

blueprint for other states? >> i think that texas' law should be an inspiration to other states because they found an enforcement mechanism that allows the life-saving law to remain in effect. i think the ultimate answer is to set right the false precedent, the bad precedent of roe v. wade. >> critics of this law will say that women who want to get an abortion will find the means to do it, they will go out of state, they have proven to travel hundreds of miles to do it. some critics even say this may push women to perform illegal abortions on themselves. >> there's a multifaceted problem here. first of all, our societal approach to pregnancy and motherhood. seeing the preborn child as a threat or a risk or an enemy, as opposed to a precious member of the human family. and then we need to keep doing things like what texas is doing with their abortion alternatives program. this is exactly what we should be focusing on, as opposed to promoting the death and destruction of children in the womb. >> reporter: while the rest of the country is focused on texas -- >> your baby is not a mistake, your baby is a gift from

>> reporter: many advocates are watching that clinic in mississippi. >> love your wife, love your girlfriend! >> reporter: the upcoming case in front of the supreme court. >> i think that the supreme court is very likely to at least chip away at the illogical and unjust precedent that roe v. wade has set. roe v. wade belongs in the trash heap of history with other unjust supreme court cases like dredd vest scott that failed to acknowledge the humanity of a certain group of people. >> reporter: shannon brewer will continue fighting to keep the doors open. >> i feel good that they're able to come here. as tired as we are sometimes, every day i get to wake and up say, i'm okay. >> i feel like this entire process of everything has happened for a reason. everything happens in life for a reason. and it's my chance to speak on it. >> reporter: maddie tells us her parents helped pay for her

procedure and travel out of state. she knows many women don't have that kind of support. >> there were so many unneeded obstacles that i managed to get over, but many women won't. the fact that i called over 30 clinics, that speaks to how many women are affected by this. if that doesn't shock you, i don't know what will. >> as a parent action as her mother, looking forward, what are your hopes for your daughter? p>> that she doesn't let anybod make her feel ashamed or that she's done anything wrong. because she hasn't. and i hope that she will fulfill her dream of being a mom when she's ready, when she is ready to become a mom. and not any time before. >> my biggest thing is making sure that other women know that they're not alone.

if texas is going to make this difficult, make it difficult for texas. don't go silently. and if they need an inspiration, i hope i can be that for them. no. in the basement. why can't we just get in the running car? are you crazy? let's hide behind the chainsaws. smart. yeah. ok. if you're in a horror movie, you make poor decisions. it's what you do. this was a good idea. shhhh. i'm being quiet. you're breathing on me! if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. let's go to the cemetery! pain hits fast. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapid release gels have laser-drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. tylenol rapid release gels. age is just a number. and mine's unlisted.

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