Texas is an abortion desert, with or without Trump's 'gag rule'

The Whole Woman's Health facility, an abortion clinic in McAllen. The Whole Woman's Health facility, an abortion clinic in McAllen. Photo: JENNIFER WHITNEY, STR Photo: JENNIFER WHITNEY, STR Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Texas is an abortion desert, with or without Trump's 'gag rule' 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

This week, the Trump administration unveiled a new proposal that threatened to remove funding from clinics that supported or promoted abortion "as a method of family planning."

The so-called "gag rule" has worried abortion rights activists who argue clinics would be silenced from speaking to patients about abortion or referring them to abortion providers.

Already, health experts believe the anticipated abortion rule could reduce access in Texas.

Even so, because of Donald Trump's ability to (willingly or unwillingly) end up as the focus for America's problems, it bears reminding: Texas' current condition as a state that cracks down on abortion with particular ferocity is a status quo created first and foremost by local and state lawmakers— not the White House.

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After all, it was Gov. Rick Perry in 2013 who signed House Bill 2, one of the strictest anti-abortion measures in the country that reduced the number of legal abortion clinics in Texas to only five.

One of the best pieces of evidence for how state lawmakers have made abortion inaccessible for large swathes of the state is a recent study by the University of California that found Texas as the nation's leading "abortion desert."

Researchers identified 27 cities where women had to travel more than 100 miles to reach an abortion clinic. Of the 27 cities, 10 are in Texas.

In Lubbock, women seeking an abortion must drive 308 miles to Fort Worth, the location of the closest abortion facility.

In Corpus Christi, a city with some 300,000 residents, women must drive 139 miles to San Antonio.

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In fact, four out of the five cities in the U.S. where women must travel the furthest are in Texas.

According to researchers, after Texas' anti-abortion law passed in 2013, "the number of abortion facilities decreased by 54% over 15 months."

As Trump's new proposal makes headlines this week, it's worth remembering clinics and abortion rights activists in Texas face challenges from every level of government, not just from the new administration.

Fernando Ramirez is a reporter for Chron.com and the Houston Chronicle. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93.