Whole Woman’s Health to Close Clinics in Texas

Whole Woman’s Health, one of the lead providers of safe abortions in the state of Texas, will close its four clinics after the near-total bans on the practice.

Last week, the Texas Supreme Court blocked the order that allowed abortions to continue. After Roe v. Wade was dissolved, there was a slither of hope due to a bill that allowed doctors to continue to see their patients, but it was quickly blocked and the odds aren’t good for women.

Whole Woman’s Health announced they will move their locations to New Mexico, a neighboring state with much more accessible laws regarding abortion, leaving Texas women with even fewer options when talking about their reproductive rights.

The four clinics have stopped offering their services since June 24, right after the Supreme Court’s blocking of Roe v. Wade. They had been active in the state since 2003 when they opened their first clinic in the city of Austin.

It is important, since Texas, though conservative, is one of the southern states with more abortion clinics, according to a tracker from Fund Texas Choice. As government officials continue to place blocks and restrictions, the number of clinics is already starting to decline considerably.

“Abortion access in the South will only get worse as the damage done by this awful ruling continues to compound, and more conservative states pass abortion bans. We are stepping up to ensure everyone has a trusted independent abortion provider as nearby as legally possible”, stated Whole Woman’s Health on their social media after they announced their decision to close their clinics.

The organization stated that they want to continue to provide reproductive health access to women and for now the best thing they can do is to move their clinics to New Mexico. They have created a GoFundMe page to help them cover the costs of closing down and moving to new locations. 

The decision to move was made with the thought of providing abortions to people from different states, including Texas. This “will allow us to provide first- and second-trimester abortions to people from Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and elsewhere in the South where safe, legal abortion care is restricted.”

After the past few weeks, full of confusion and terror from women in the United States, those who provide for abortions have had to think of new solutions and adapt to the continuing legal restrictions.