A new study from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP) at the University of Texas at Austin showed in September 2021.
Kari White, the lead investigator for TxPEP and an associate , says she had seen some of these patterns before, but she was surprised how many more Texans were traveling outside of the state for services after Senate Bill 8 went into effect.
鈥淭hat really speaks to how disruptive the ban on early abortion really was,鈥� White said.
The study looked at 50 abortion providers, both in Texas and in neighboring states including Louisiana and Oklahoma, to compare data over time.
White says they found that Texans traveling for abortion services increased wait times and strained providers.
鈥淎s Texans were moving into Oklahoma, people in Oklahoma were finding it difficult to get care, so they were seeking care in other places,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here really is a domino effect.鈥�
White said she and other researchers found that the number of people obtaining abortions was the lowest in the first month after SB 8 and is most likely .
When the , Texas implemented a near-total ban on abortion. States like , where Texans traveled to find abortion care earlier this year, followed suit. White says people have to travel to places like New Mexico and Colorado now.
鈥淭his is putting abortion care even further out of reach,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or a lot of people living in some of these major metropolitan areas of Texas, the nearest clinic is at least 300 miles, sometimes 600 miles, one-way.鈥�
White hopes people consider the impact of such legislation as other states decide on the future of abortion access.
鈥淲hat we can see from this data is that placing those kinds of restrictions on essential reproductive health care is certainly not going to prevent people from needing abortion care, and that many people are going to pursue other ways to try to get that care,鈥� she said.
She says , in addition to services and support they need when they get home or decide to continue their pregnancy because they鈥檙e unable to travel.
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