September 1, 2026, marked the fifth anniversary of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), also known as the Texas Heartbeat Act, effectively banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Since SB 8 went into effect in 2021, maternal deaths in Texas have increased by 56 percent, sepsis rates have risen by 50 percent, and infant mortality has gone up by 13 percent.
Aarohi Sheth
Aarohi Sheth is an abolitionist, essayist, storyteller, editor, and poet from Houston. They currently serve as Scalawag’s fact checker and Hurricane Season editor. Aarohi writes about grief in all its forms, bayou communities, humidity, radical (re)imagination, the family as a horror, and more.
