When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade over the summer, New Mexico seemed poised to become a destination for those seeking abortion. It’s a blue state with no restrictions on when the procedure can be done during pregnancy and is sandwiched between Texas and Arizona, states that ban or restrict abortion.
Over the past nine months, a lot has been written in national media about states that have banned, or severely limited, access to abortion and how that is affecting doctors and patients.
Here in New Mexico, we set out to tell another angle of the same story.
These articles, along with videos produced by photographer Chancey Bush, are the result of dozens of interviews over the past month, speaking to people on every side of the issue about the realities of accessing abortion care and what could be coming next.
If you have a story you’d like to share, or an idea that you think we should pursue, please email ekaplan@abqjournal.com.
The stories and videos
In the first story, we went to Clovis — one of five jurisdictions in Eastern New Mexico that passed ordinances that, in essence, ban abortions. The governor had just signed House Bill 7, which prevents cities and counties from interfering with reproductive health care. But the anti-abortion activists are undeterred. In fact, they’re anticipating the opportunity to challenge the bill, potentially all the way up to the U.S. Supreme Court. | Read the story
In the second story, we talked with those who provide abortions as well as those who offer funding and support for patients in need, many of whom are coming from out of state. They shared the stories they’re hearing from people traveling long distances and overcoming great obstacles to reach a clinic in New Mexico. | Read the story
In the third story, we discovered that although abortion is not restricted in New Mexico during any time in a pregnancy, the only clinic to offer the procedure after 24 weeks has put its program on hold. And we spoke with an activist who calls herself a “pro-life missionary” about how she and her husband came to the state specifically to fight against abortions later in pregnancy. | Read the story
