Texas Women Face Booked Appointment Calendars, Crowded Waiting Rooms After Abortion Law Shuttered Clinics
The Supreme Court is considering whether the Texas law puts undue burdens on women seeking abortions. In other news, out-of-state women flock to New Mexico, a state that has few abortion restrictions, and an Oklahoma bill that would require schools to add an anti-abortion curriculum to their classes may be too expensive to implement.
The New York Times:
Texas Abortion Law Has Women Waiting Longer, And Paying More
When Amy found out that she was pregnant, she wasted no time seeking an abortion. Her husband had just lost his job and the couple had been kicked out of their house, forcing their family of five to move in with his parents. But she found that getting an appointment for an abortion proved almost as stressful as the unwanted pregnancy. The number of abortion clinics in Texas has shrunk by half since a 2013 state law imposed new regulations that many said they found impossible to meet. The United States Supreme Court is considering the constitutionality of that law and whether it creates too much of a burden on women seeking an abortion. (Goodnough, 3/18)
The Albuquerque Journal:
New Mexico Becomes Abortion Magnet
To some, New Mexico is a Wild West haven for abortions. For others, the state is a refuge from a wave of legal assaults nationwide on a woman’s right to choose. Abortions among New Mexico residents, especially women ages 19 and younger, are down dramatically since 2010, but the number of out-of-state women coming here for abortions has doubled in the past three years, according to newly compiled state data. (Heild, 3/20)
The Associated Press:
Costs May Scuttle Oklahoma Anti-Abortion Curriculum Bill
Legislation that would mandate Oklahoma’s public schools to teach that life begins at conception may fail not because of its controversial nature but because the suddenly financially strapped state could have trouble paying for the course materials. The National Right to Life Committee backs the Oklahoma bill and calls it the first of its kind in the nation. Under it, public high schools would be required to provide the information “for the purpose of achieving an abortion-free society.” Parents would be able to pull their children from the classes, and none of the state funding could be used for abortion counseling or sex education. (Talley, 3/19)
