For Release: November 17, 2015

Research Reveals Clinic Inaccessibility is a Factor in Texans’ Decision to Self-Induce Abortion

Texas—New research reveals that at least 100,000 Texans have attempted to self-induce abortion in their lifetime and cite multiple barriers to accessing abortion clinics as a reason for attempting self-induction. This news comes just days after the Supreme Court of the United States announced that they will hear Whole Woman’s Health v. Cole, the case challenging House Bill 2 (HB 2)—Texas’ dangerous law that has shuttered abortion clinics across the state. According to the research from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP), at least 100,000 Texas women ages 18-49 have attempted to self-induce abortion. TxPEP finds that self-induced abortion appears to be more common among Latinas living near the Texas-Mexico border and among people who have a history of facing barriers to accessing reproductive health care. TxPEP expects that instances of self-induction will increase if HB 2 is allowed to go into full affect and more abortion clinics are forced to close. Heather Busby, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, made the following statement in response to the new research from TxPEP: “Everyone who needs an abortion should have access to safe, legal care, and the ability to obtain an abortion should not depend on your zip code or your income. This research supports what we already know—these extreme restrictions erect enormous barriers to accessing safe, legal, quality abortion care for many Texans. House Bill 2 was designed to shut down clinics and the law puts pregnant people's health and safety at risk.” In 2013, before HB 2 was passed, there were over 40 abortion clinics in Texas. Since the law started going into effect, over half of state’s abortion clinics have been forced to close. If the law is allowed to go into full effect, only 10 clinics will remain in Texas—a state with 5.4 million women of reproductive age. The coalition of abortion providers bringing the case against HB 2 to the Supreme Court is challenging provisions of the law that mandate that all abortion clinics meet mini-hospital standards—which requires unnecessary and expensive building renovations including widening hallways and adding in locker rooms—and give hospital boards veto power over which clinics are able to provide abortion care. Another 2015 study from the TxPEP reveals that the widespread abortion clinic closures as a result of HB 2 are substantially increasing wait times for abortions, pushing people seeking abortion care later into their pregnancies and making the procedure more difficult for them to

afford. Wait times at clinics in Austin and Fort Worth exceed 20 days and will likely increase if more clinics are forced to close.

###

Contact: Zoey Lichtenheld, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, zoey@prochoicetexas.org, o: (512) 462-1661, m: (512) 920-2046