Unequal Spatial Consequences of Abortion Restrictions in Texas, 2021–2023

Bibliographic Data

ID11024172
AuthorsSydney R Sauter (0000-0003-4102-3543, Sydney R. Sauter and Julie H. Hernandez are with the Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Maeve E. Wallace is with the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.), Maeve Wallace (Tulane University), Maeve E Wallace (Sydney R. Sauter and Julie H. Hernandez are with the Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Maeve E. Wallace is with the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.), Julie H Hernandez (0000-0002-0868-0958, Sydney R. Sauter and Julie H. Hernandez are with the Department of International Health and Sustainable Development, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA. Maeve E. Wallace is with the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.)
Year2024
Volume114
Issue10
Pages1024-1033
Publication date2024-10-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0090-0036 • E-ISSN: 1541-0048
PublisherAmerican Public Health Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2105/ajph.2024.307652
PMID38781540
OpenAlexW4398247001
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited17

Objectives. To demonstrate the spatially uneven effects of abortion restriction laws in Texas. Methods. We used network analysis to determine the change in distance to the nearest surgical abortion provider for 5253 Texas neighborhoods after the passing of Texas Senate Bill 8 (SB8; 2021) and the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) decision. We identified associations between key measures of neighborhood socioeconomic context and change in distance to providers using multivariable linear regression models. Results. After the Dobbs decision, Texas residents experienced an average change in distance to the nearest provider of 457 miles (SD = 179). Neighborhoods of concentrated disadvantage experienced the greatest increase in distance to abortion providers after SB8’s passing, and neighborhoods with high levels of income inequality experienced the greatest increase in distance after the Dobbs decision. Conclusions. We document the rapidly changing abortion landscape in a highly restrictive state and show that women living in more disadvantaged and unequal areas are most affected by the increasing distance to providers. Public Health Implications. Our methods and findings will continue to be relevant in understanding the burden placed on women in areas where medical abortion has been restricted because of the Dobbs decision. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(10):1024–1033. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307652 )

Abortion · Biology · Environmental health · Pregnancy · Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Medicine · Reproductive Health and Contraception

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