by the time she's done, mellisa will have swallowed 12 pills. >> when should we do this? >> whenever you're ready really. >> okay. >> the rate of attempted self-induced abortions in texas is believed to be one of the highest in the united states. >> you're going to take four. your first dose is four. >> fault lines is here to find out why. >> just keep checking the time 30 minutes. then you can swallow it. >> whole woman's health in mcallen. a city in the lower rio grande valley, on the southern most tip of texas. >> a few months ago mellisa could have come to this clinic for a legal abortion, but it's been practically shut down and isn't allowed to provide abortions anymore. >> last november a law went into effect that made it harder for doctors to perform abortions. under the new legislation doctors need an official affiliation with a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic. but in this conservative region, none of the hospitals are willing to do that. its just one of a number of laws that have swept texas and other states which have made abortion more difficult to obt