Driven by right-wing, state-level attempts to “legislate the industry out of existence,” abortion clinics in the U.S. are closing at a record pace, according to a Bloomberg analysis out Wednesday.
“At no time since before 1973, when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, has a woman’s ability to terminate a pregnancy been more dependent on her zip code or financial resources to travel,” Bloomberg reporter Esmé Deprez wrote.
“Those who come to our clinics should be able to receive the care they need without worrying about clinic shutdowns or medically unnecessary obstacles.”
—Amy Hagstrom Miller, Whole Woman’s Health
The data compiled by Bloomberg News, which builds on a similar undertaking from 2013, shows that since 2011, at least 162 abortion providers have shut or stopped offering the procedure, while just 21 opened.
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The shut-downs occurred in 30 states, and “the downward trend has accelerated to the fastest annual pace on record since 2011, with 31 having closed or stopped performing the procedure each year on average,” Deprez reports.
“No region was exempt, though some states lost more than others,” she continues. “Texas, which in 2013 passed sweeping clinic regulations that are under scrutiny by the Supreme Court, saw the most: at least 30. It was followed by Iowa, with 14, and Michigan, with 13. California’s loss of a dozen providers shows how availability declined, even in states led by Democrats, who tend to be friendly to abortion rights.”
So-called “TRAP” (Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers) laws, which women’s health advocates say impose unnecessary and burdensome regulations on abortion providers, “drove more than a quarter of the closings,” according to Bloomberg.
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