Texas Reproductive Health Cuts Deny Access to Care, Report Says
About a quarter of state-funded family-planning clinics in Texas’s Lower Rio Grande Valley closed after funding was cut in 2011, forcing women to forgo breast exams, Pap smears and contraception, according to a report by an advocacy group.
The spending cuts, which came before lawmakers approved new restrictions on abortion this year, have been especially harmful in counties on the southeastern border with Mexico, one of the poorest regions in the U.S., according to the report today by the Center for Reproductive Rights and National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.
“Profound barriers to reproductive health, including cost, lack of transportation, immigration status and lack of accessible clinics, mean that Latinas in Texas are severely delayed or even barred from care they need to live with health and dignity,” Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, executive director of the New York-based institute, said in a statement.
The legislature cut the family-planning budget to $37.9 million for 2011-2013 from $111 million, according to the report. Some funding since has been restored.
Nine of 32 family-planning clinics in the Lower Rio Grande Valley closed, leaving few options for women, according to the report. Others scaled back hours or raised prices. Health concerns that could have been diagnosed early become more serious, resulting in the need for more costly care.
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-12/texas-reproductive-health-cuts-deny-access-to-care-report-says.html