Texas abortion rate declines in wake of new law
A new study by Texas researchers and national reproductive health experts found a significant decline in the number of abortions in Texas in the months after new abortion restrictions led to the closing of nearly half the state’s abortion clinics.
The Texas Policy Evaluation Project found the abortion rate in Texas dropped 13 percent, or by 9,200, over the past year. That rate is faster than the national decline and is correlated, researchers say, to portions of the controversial House Bill 2, a law enacted in November that placed new restrictions on medical or pill-induced abortions, required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and banned most procedures after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The study found Texas lost about 46 percent of its abortion facilities, down from 41 facilities to 22, from April 2013 to April 2014 . That leaves large areas of the state without clinics, raising the number of women of reproductive age who live more than 200 miles from a clinic from 10,000 to 290,000.
As a result, women are flocking to larger cities such as Austin or Houston, which saw an increase in abortions during the same period.
There is a lot more commentary on the story so please continue reading at http://www.statesman.com/news/news/study-texas-abortion-rate-declines-in-wake-of-cont/ngmHx/ .
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