Feds boosting access to emergency contraception
Financial infusion comes as abortion providers scramble to minimize impacts of new state law
The Biden administration has pledged to help boost access to emergency contraception in Texas as part of its response to the state’s strict new abortion law banning the procedure after six weeks.
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Friday the agency will send more funding to family planning clinics here through its local Title X administrator, a nonprofit in Austin called Every Body Texas. The administration did not disclose the amount, but a representative for the group said it will be used to increase supplies of different types of contraception that can stave off pregnancy if taken shortly after having unprotected sex.
“We’re trying to make sure this is a normal part of an interaction and increases the number of people who don’t just have access to emergency contraception, but actually have it on hand,” said Mimi Garcia, the group’s director of communications.
Emergency contraception, sometimes known as the morning-after pill, is currently available for free at many low-income family planning clinics, but only for patients who request it. It can cost about $50 at a retail pharmacy. There are no age require
ments to purchase it and parental consent is not required, according to prochoice groups, who stress that emergency contraception is not the same as the so-called abortion pill.
The financial infusion comes as abortion providers and their supporters are scrambling to minimize the impacts of the new law, Senate Bill 8, which went into effect earlier this month and bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy, before many people realize they’re pregnant. The law does not make exceptions for rape or incest.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 vote, allowed the law to take effect, pointing to SB 8’s unique enforcement approach. It allows private citizens to sue abortion providers and others who assist in obtaining the procedure if they defy the state’s guidelines. But the high court has not ruled on the merits of the law.
The Biden administration sued this month to block the law, arguing that it infringes on the constitutional right to access abortion before a fetus is viable. A hearing on that case has been set for Oct. 1.
In his announcement Friday, Becerra said the health agency will also help doctors and their staff if they face employment discrimination for having provided abortions after six weeks in Texas. No providers have publicly defied the law so far, and some have stopped providing abortions altogether.
“HHS is taking actions to support and protect both patients and providers from this dangerous attack on Texans’ health care,” Becerra said in a statement. “Today we are making clear that doctors and hospitals have an obligation under federal law to make medical decisions regarding when it’s appropriate to treat their patients. And we are telling doctors and others involved in the provision of abortion care that we have your back.”