Since Texas passed its controversial HB2 – or anti-abortion bill – in 2013, over half of the 41 abortion clinics in the state have been forced to close. Now it has emerged that potentially up to 240,000 women have attempted to give themselves an abortion in the wake of the bill, and because of a lack of money and resources.
According to a horrifying new study by the Texan Policy Evaluation Project, at least 100,000 Texas women – and as many as 240,000 – between the ages of 18 and 49 have attempted to self-induce abortions and that number may be rising. It points out that previous studies which found a rise in abortion restrictions correlated directly with a rise in the number of women performing abortions on themselves.
‘This is the latest body of evidence demonstrating the negative implications of laws like HB2 that pretend to protect women but in reality place them, and particularly women of colour and economically disadvantaged women, at significant risk,’ Dr Daniel Grossman, one of the study’s co-authors and a professor at the University of California, told press earlier this week.
The study also found that the most popular methods women are using to terminate pregnancies are either home remedies (herbs, teas, or vitamins) or medications – the main one being misoprostol, which can be bought in Mexico without a prescription.
In terms of their reasons for having an abortion, a lack of money and pressures from the law were the main factors: they lacked the money to travel or pay for the procedure; their local clinic had closed; a close friend or family member had recommended it; or the women were worried about the stigma associated with going to an abortion clinic.
‘Nobody should be denied safe and compassionate care based on her zip code,’ said Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Women’s Health, an independent abortion provider in Texas, in a recent statement. ‘But that’s exactly what’s been happening.’
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.