New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order on Wednesday, August 31 earmarking $10,000,000 in public funds to construct a reproductive healthcare clinic in southern New Mexico.

The move comes as healthcare options for people in New Mexico have become restricted due to the abortion laws of neighboring states. With states like Arizona and Texas implementing strict abortion bans, New Mexicans near the border have lost access to their closest clinics. However, Gov. Lujan Grisham hopes to provide a solution for southern New Mexico.

The clinic will especially serve people wanting abortions who live in states where abortions are illegal. To attain abortions those people would have no choice but to travel to states where the procedure is legal. “The goal here is build it and they will come,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. She added that either public or private providers could operate the clinic. 

About states like Texas that have illegalized abortion Gov. Lujan Grisham said, “These efforts to restrict access to reproductive health services from other states may lead more individuals to seek services from New Mexico health care providers. … We must work to protect and expand the availability of these services to address the demands on our system.” 

The new clinic will “… meet an expected rise in demand for abortions from women traveling from neighboring states that have banned the procedure,” states an article posted at Rueters.com.

While abortion is the hot button issue at the forefront of the conversation, state bans on abortion have had devastating and sometimes unintentional impact on basic reproductive care and healthcare as a whole. In some states, pregnant people might have difficulty getting treatment for health problems because of the potential risk to the fetus. Strict laws may also bring legal penalties for suffering a miscarriage or prevent medical professionals from providing care during one. Because of these added risks, even people who do not want an abortion may be unable to get the care they need from an out-of-state provider.

New Clinic to Be Built in Doña Ana County

According to Gov. Lujan Grisham, the new clinic will be built in Doña Ana County, likely near the city of Las Cruces, close to the Texas border. This would replace the previous drive to El Paso clinics which would have been common for many southern New Mexicans prior to the Texas ban. Las Cruces is New Mexico’s second largest city.

With a population of just over 100,000 and a distance of approximately 41 miles from the metroplex of El Paso, Texas, Las Cruces has the infrastructure necessary – hotels, restaurants, goods and services – to support this new form of medical tourism.

Hobbs, with a population of around 40,000 and being located approximately six miles from the Texas border, is also in the spotlight for reproductive healthcare tourism.

As the Lea County Tribune reported in July, Whole Woman’s Health (WWH) – the largest abortion provider in Texas – is closing its four Texas clinics and moving to Lea County. Although the exact location of the new WWH clinic is yet to be announced, Hobbs is a likely candidate.

Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Mark Ronchetti Responds 

Mark Ronchetti, the Republican candidate going head-to-head against incumbent Lujan Grisham in November’s race for governor, was quick to respond to the governor’s actions.

Ronchetti said in a statement, “Using taxpayer dollars to enable and fund abortion up until the point of birth is not only out of line with New Mexican values, it is extreme.”  Abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy is extremely rare and are typically performed because of the lack of viability of the fetus or potential danger to the person carrying it.

Supporting Ronchetti’s point of view, his spokesperson Enrique Knell stated at SorceNM.com, “Mark has always been clear and consistent on his position and the fact that he is pro-life. He has also consistently and adamantly stated that New Mexico should not be the nation’s late-term abortion capital, as it is right now.”

While Ronchetti’s current official position on abortion is that he favors allowing abortions only during the first 15 weeks or in “special circumstances”, not everyone believes him. A Planned Parenthood Votes ad cautions, “the real Ronchetti would take away a women’s right to control her own body.” 

During his 2020 Senate campaign Ronchetti’s own website described him as “strongly pro-life”. The website quoted him as saying, “life should be protected — at all stages.” With no federal protections for abortion rights, voters will likely have this issue top of mind as they go to the ballot.

Most Recent Abortion Bans

“Trigger bans” on abortion took effect on Thursday, August 22 in Idaho, Texas and Tennessee. They are called “trigger bans” because “…they were passed while Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that established the constitutional right to abortion, was still in effect. They were designed to be triggered once the Supreme Court overturned Roe…., states an article posted at Reuters.com.

On the same day in Oklahoma, where abortion is for the most part already illegal, a law came into effect that makes “…providing an abortion punishable with up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.”

In total 11 states – Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee and Texas – are “enforcing near total abortion bans”. In Ohio abortion is significantly restricted.

“The abortion landscape is fragmented and increasingly polarized,” states the Guttmacher Institute. According to its website, the Guttmacher Institute is a “leading research and policy organization committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) worldwide”. The Institute has published a new interactive map showing abortion policies in US states. The map is effective as of last Monday, August 29.