Another One Bites the Dust

    I read an interesting article from the Burnt Orange Report, written by Genevieve Cato on Tuesday, March 18, 2014.  The article is titled “El Paso Clinic Next On House Bill 2 Chopping Block” and is actually a continuation, of sorts, from another article posted on the BOR about another set of clinics closing earlier in the month.  Both of these articles cover the effects of the somewhat recently (July 2013) passed House Bill 2. 

    House Bill 2, if you haven’t heard, is Texas’ most recent piece of legislation to be passed regarding abortion in Texas and is set to be in full effect as of September of this year.  This bill set some of the toughest restrictions on abortion we have in the country and is causing many of the women’s health clinics throughout the state to have to jump through hoops if they want to stay open and continue to provide their services.  Most of the reports talking about this particular issue seem to agree that come September, when the bill is set to become effective, there will only be about 6 or so women’s health clinics left in the entire state that are able to meet the new requirements.  Before the bill passed, there where over 40 clinics throughout the state providing much more than just abortions to countless men and women who don’t have health insurance, (in a state that has one of the highest percent of uninsured citizens) and now many of those people will have even less access to health care than before.

    Anyway, back to the article: the particular clinics featured are the only two left in this area (El Paso) that provide abortions.  One, Hilltop Women's Reproductive Clinic, is closing for sure because they can’t afford to make the changes required by the new bill, and the other, Reproductive Services, is planning to renovate their clinic to meet the new standards.  However, if for some reason (after all, they are a business), Reproductive Services decides it isn’t cost effective to make the required updates and decides to close their doors, it would leave the entire western half of the state without a clinic that provides abortions, among many other services provided to both men and women. 

    Seeing as how the article came from a more liberal blog, I would say that is the intended audience, as well as anyone else keeping up with how the laws we pass affect our lives and the services we have the ability to take advantage of, if we choose.  There isn’t much in the article in the way of an argument, but the sources and quotes provided are all from people working for the clinics in question and I’d say the author’s logic is sound.