In this gif, Cosmopolitan shares research from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project showing that the average distance a woman in Texas must drive to access the nearest abortion clinic in the state has increased following the implementation of the state's omnibus antiabortion-rights law (HB 2). Texas woman before HB 2 had to travel an average of 17 miles to access a clinic, compared with an average of 70 miles after HB 2's implementation.
According to Cosmopolitan, the findings underscore comments made by Justice Elena Kagan during oral arguments over the law in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt that 900,000 women in the state live more than 150 miles from a state clinic, while 750,000 women live more than 200 miles from an abortion provider. Cosmopolitan notes that these travel obstacles are exacerbated by a 2011 state law mandating a woman make at least two visits to an abortion provider, including one for an ultrasound and one to have the procedure.
Cosmopolitan provides six more charts detailing other ramifications of the law, including the decreasing number of clinics in the state, the increased wait time for an abortion appointment and the increased cost of care (Friedman, Cosmopolitan, 6/8).
