AUSTIN, Texas — Newsrooms not only here in the Lone Star State, but across the nation are working tirelessly to explain what Senate Bill 8 means for Texas.

It has been grabbing headlines since the “Heartbeat Act” became law in Texas on Sept. 1. 

Not only is Abby Johnston a wife, a daughter and a Texan, she is also a storyteller. 

"I think it's just important to chronicle people's stories and to do that in a responsible way,” Johnston explained.

Johnston is the deputy editor of The 19th, a women-founded newsroom dedicated to writing about gender, politics and policy.

"The way that we approach gender is in a really holistic way. So to us that means women but that means LGBTQ+ folks,” Johnston said. “It means covering men too and how gender impacts them."

They have been pretty busy lately, working on a number of stories. However, one of the biggest right now is Texas enacting what is known as the strictest abortion law in the country.

"We've done some really great follow-ups on just how this law can impact people in ways that we may not necessarily think about right off the bat,” Johnston said.

With a story like this that requires continuous coverage, there may not be a better time for an independent, nonprofit newsroom like The 19th to exist. 

“(We are) really trying to represent how this is going to impact people and what moves are next,” Johnston said. “Because I think that that's the big question on people's minds is, you know, how does this play out in Texas? How does this play out across the nation?"  

As for how it will play out in their newsroom, Johnston suspects they will be working on this story for a while.