SAN ANTONIO — Hundreds of Texans continue to travel the nation every month for abortions one year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“Right now, people in Texas, people in Oklahoma, people in the Gulf, don’t have the same rights as people in California or New York or even Kansas,” said Zack Gingrich-Gaylord, communications director of the Trust Women Foundation, which operates abortion clinics in Oklahoma and Kansas.
Trust Women serves as a majority out-of-state provider with 70% of the more than 500 monthly patients arriving from Texas.
Gingrich-Gaylord said the increase in Texas patients has grown ever since Senate Bill 8 went into effect in 2021, legislation that banned most abortions in the Lone Star State after six weeks of pregnancy. The only exception for an abortion is if the mother’s life is in danger.
New research from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals nearly 10,000 babies were born in Texas after the abortion ban went into effect.
“The past year has really been unprecedented,” Gingrich-Gaylord said.
The Trust Women clinic in Oklahoma City halted abortion services two months before the Supreme Court ruled to return the legality of abortions to states. During this time, the Oklahoma Legislature had passed an abortion ban similar to the one passed in Texas.
The greater demand for abortion services from residents in states like Texas and Oklahoma, prompted Trust Women to hire more doctors and frontline staff over the past couple years.
“We’ve nearly tripled the size of our frontline staff at the clinic. We’re working with around three times as many more doctors now. That’s really our vision at Trust Women, is that every person has meaningful local access to abortion,” Gingrich-Gaylord said.
Texas lawmakers allocated $20 million to the state’s Alternatives to Abortion program. The money will go toward helping current or future mothers by offering a host of maternity resources.
In April, pro-abortion groups in Texas celebrated a legal victory through a class-action lawsuit, leading to many non-profits cautiously resuming operations of financially assisting women seeking out-of-state abortions.
A federal judge in February granted a preliminary injunction, blocking prosecutors in some counties from prosecuting anyone who helps Texans travel out of state for abortions.
“We’re not funding travel (expenses) due to legal restraint, but we’re back to funding abortion and that’s very exciting,” said Frontera Fund Organizing Manager Cathy Torres.
The Frontera Fund offers $100-$600 vouchers to eligible women who live in border communities. Most of the women go to clinics in New Mexico while others have gone as far as California for services. Torres anticipates the demand for abortion assistance through organizations like the Frontera Fund will only rise.
“The reason why abortion funds exist is because there is a financial disparity, there is income inequality and in regions like the valley even more so," Torres said.
New research from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals nearly 10,000 babies were born in Texas after Senate Bill 8 went into effect in 2021.