Report: Texas abortion rate dropped 13 percent under new restrictions

See the the details of the study in the following slides.

less A study from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project took a look at how things have changed since Texas passed HB 2, the hotly contested abortion bill, in 2013. See the the details of the study in the following ... more A study from the Texas Policy Evaluation Project took a look at how things have changed since Texas passed HB 2, the hotly contested abortion bill, in 2013. Photo: Billy Smith II, ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo: Billy Smith II, ASSOCIATED PRESS Image 1 of / 56 Caption Close Report: Texas abortion rate dropped 13 percent under new restrictions 1 / 56 Back to Gallery

AUSTIN – The abortion rate in Texas dropped 13 percent after restrictions in the high-profile House Bill 2 took effect last fall, according to a study released Wednesday by the Texas Policy Evaluation Project.

There were 4,615 fewer abortions between last November and this April than there were from November 2012 to April 2013, according to the study's authors, who compiled the information by surveying providers across the state. Although abortion rates are falling across the country, the authors described the 13 percent drop as steeper than other declines.

Abortions using a pill, which were restricted by House Bill 2, dropped 70 percent, according to the study. The law also banned most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, required abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital and mandated that abortion facilities meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers.

"The bottom line is that we are seeing that the restrictions imposed by HB2 are having some effect on Texas women's access to abortion," said lead author Dan Grossman of Massachusetts-based Ibis Reproductive Health, one of the partners in the Texas Policy Evaluation Project, which is researching the impact of Texas laws related to women's health and reproductive rights. The others are the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Alabama Birmingham; funding for the study came from an anonymous donor.

Joe Pojman, executive director of the anti-abortion Texas Alliance for Life, questioned the study, arguing a survey of providers was not an accurate gauge of abortions. More complete information from the state Department of Health Services will not be available until next year or later.

The goal of House Bill 2, Pojman said, was to make abortion safer, not eliminate access.