Texas leads the country in abortion clinic closings
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Texas has closed more abortion clinics than any other state since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June.
Driving the news: The findings are based on a new report from the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
Why it matters: The closings support predictions that access to the procedure would rapidly decline in conservative-led states after the ruling effectively ended all federal protections on abortion, according to Axios' Oriana Gonzalez.
- Some clinics have moved operations to states where abortion access is protected.
The big picture: More than 80% of abortion clinics in 15 states with strict abortion bans have stopped offering the procedure since the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Zoom in: Texas had 23 clinics in operation before the decision — 12 shut down and 11 are open but only offer services other than abortion.
State of play: Texas law outlaws abortions, including in cases of rape and incest.
- But some key lawmakers have signaled that they would be open to giving victims of rape or incest access to abortions.
What they're saying: "The loss of clinics is felt in all states — even those where abortion remains legal. Abortion clinics in these states are being inundated with people from states with abortion bans seeking care," says Rachel Jones, a principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute.