Wealth will only determine which Texan can access abortion

• A person living in Texas could expect to spend between $1,000 and $4,000 for an abortion.
• The Supreme Court’s decision will help create a single class of Texans able to terminate their pregnancies.
• Traveling out of the state or country to obtain abortion services will be beyond the reach of many.

Wealth will only determine which Texan can access abortion; due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on Friday to overturn Roe v. Wade. Even before the verdict, a resident of Texas may anticipate paying between $1,000 and $4,000; to cover the costs of getting a surgical abortion, excluding all but the wealthiest citizens; and denying access to a population of Texans who were already disadvantaged.

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Many Texans simply won’t be able to afford to travel outside of the state or nation to receive abortion services. These people include those who will find it difficult or impossible to leave the state; on short notice. Teenagers with little or no parental support; and those who do not have enough money in their savings accounts to cover expenses.

According to Dr. Bhavik Kumar, an abortion specialist at Planned Parenthood Center for Choice in Houston; “the folks who have the means to pay for child care, transportation; all of those things, perhaps even a person to go with them for support if they need it; are going to be more easily able to travel and obtain the care out of state.”

“A trip for something that can’t be accessed closer to home without the additional cost of travel; accommodation, overnight stays, food, petrol; and all the other things that go with it can be the determining factor; in getting care or not getting care,” says the American Medical Association (AMA).

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