Gov. Greg Abbott said rape victims can take Plan B. But emergency contraception isn’t widely available for the state’s poorest people – By William Melhado (Texas Tribune) / Sept 3, 2022
Abbott said that victims of rape could take Plan B to prevent a pregnancy. Due to the state’s healthcare landscape, accessing emergency contraception may not be feasible for low-income Texans.
Sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott told The Dallas Morning News that rape victims can take emergency contraception, like Plan B, to prevent a pregnancy. With abortion now banned in Texas, even in instances of incest or rape, the governor recommended the use of emergency contraception to ensure a victim of rape does not become pregnant.
But for the lowest-income people in Texas, emergency contraception isn’t widely accessible, advocates said — a consequence of the significant number of people of childbearing age who are uninsured and the state’s lack of programs that provide access to treatment like Plan B.
During a pre-recorded segment of Lone Star Politics, Abbott said of rape victims, “By accessing health care immediately, they can get the Plan B pill that can prevent a pregnancy from occurring in the first place. With regard to reporting it to law enforcement, that will ensure that the rapist will be arrested and prosecuted.”
CONTINUE > https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/03/emergency-contraception-access-rape-victim-abbott/
