For all the criticism and outrage red states get for tightening restrictions on abortion leading to clinic closures, blue states are seeing their fair share of closures as well.
In California, where abortion laws are liberal, 12 clinics have closed since 2011. Three clinics have closed in Washington, along with several in Connecticut, New Jersey and New York. In total, 162 abortion providers have shuttered their doors since 2011, while only have 21 opened, according to analysis from Bloomberg.
For every three abortion clinics associated with the Abortion Care Network that have closed in red states, two have closed in more liberal states in the past five years, according to ACN’s Executive Director Nikki Madsen.
Shauna Heckert, executive director of Women’s Health Specialists of California, told FiveThirtyEight that it’s not just anti-abortion legislation that has accounted for the drop in abortion facilities. It’s also a paucity of willing providers. “We are a dying breed,” Heckert said, adding that some of the closures are “because of economics.”
Forty-two percent of women who procure abortions have incomes below the federal poverty line. Providers have been keeping the price low to accommodate lower-income women, but that also means they can’t turn much of a profit to stay afloat.
The price of an abortion, however, has not increased much in the past 30 years.
Bloomberg’s analysis found that one-quarter of the closures since 2011 were due to legislation placing restrictions on abortion providers, which means three-quarters of the closures were due to other factors. Some of these factors include declining demand for abortion, changing demographics, doctor retirements and cracking down on unfit providers.
So while abortion clinics in Texas may point to legislation as the reason for their closure, the fact is that abortion clinics are closing across the country for a whole host of reasons, even in blue states.
Ashe Schow is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
