AUSTIN, Texas — For many women who are trying to conceive, getting pregnant can be a challenging and painful experience.
The state has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy in the country.
That is particularly true for African-American women, who make up a disproportionately large proportion of the population of low-income women and young women who don’t have access to family planning services, and for women who have limited access to contraception.
So it makes sense that when a woman might be considering having an abortion, she would consider the pros and cons of that option before making the decision.
If that means that she’s unsure about her health insurance coverage, she should speak with her health care provider first.
If she decides to end her pregnancy, she could still get the medical care she needs in a clinic that provides high-quality services, said Lauren A. Fessler, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecological surgery at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
A woman should not be pressured to get an abortion in a facility that does not provide safe, high-standard care, said Fessler.
Focusing on the health care options offered to women who choose to have an abortion rather than those provided in clinics or in abortion facilities, and keeping in mind the consequences of an abortion for women, is a critical component of an informed decision, she said.
Fingers crossed for Texas Women When it comes to women’s health care, “there are some things that can be done and some things can’t,” Fessler said.
She said Texas women who need abortions have access in some areas to high-performance abortion clinics that offer comprehensive health care.
Folsom County is one of those clinics, and it is not the only one.
The district of Galvestos Health District is located just west of Houston, and the county has a growing population of residents who live near the clinic.
In 2016, the district spent $8 million on abortions, with $3.7 million going to the Planned Parenthood clinic and $1.9 million going toward the clinic for supplies.
The number of abortions performed in the district increased by 30 percent between 2016 and 2017, from 545 to 562.
Planned Parenthood of Greater Houston was a partner in the facility.
According to the organization’s website, it offers abortions in more than 200 locations in Texas.
In Galvesto County, the Planned PP clinic in the city of Frisco offers abortions at no charge and the district provides services at no cost to women and their families.
The abortion clinic has a “medical and surgical abortion facility,” Folsoms clinic says on its website.
It is staffed by a physician and a nurse.
Planned PP’s website also provides a map showing which clinics in the county provide abortion services.
Planned Texas Women is a nonprofit group that provides health care services for women.
The organization is a partnership between the county of Galvez and Planned PP, according to its website, which says it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to expand access to high quality health care for women and families.
It offers more than 100 clinics in Texas and in other states, including California, New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, and Hawaii.
Felsom County has more than 40 abortion clinics and centers that provide care to low-wage, uninsured women.
“Our goal is to provide high- quality health and well-baby care services to women,” said Donna O’Brien, vice president of health services and information technology at Planned Parenthood.
Flanders County has fewer abortion facilities and fewer clinics, but it also has a clinic and a provider of low cost-of-care services, which is why its clinics are considered part of Planned PP.
The Folsos clinic has the highest number of low quality clinics per capita in the state, according a 2015 analysis by the state health department.
“In the last few years, there’s been an uptick in women who want to terminate their pregnancy.
That has led to a lot of clinics closing.
That’s really unfortunate,” said Felsoms.
In addition to providing affordable health care to women, Folsomes clinic also offers low-cost contraception, which includes a variety of methods that have shown to be effective.
A large majority of the women who seek abortions are in the 18-29 age bracket, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
About half of the abortions performed are for non-emergency reasons, according Planned PP and the Folsons clinic.
According the National Center for Health Statistics, more than 5 million women across the United States were pregnant at some point in 2017.
Planned Health provides contraception and other low- cost birth control services to all of its patients, and some of its clinics also provide abortions.
The clinics offer abortions, contraception, and other health care and family planning information services, including abortions, birth control, and sterilization