Francis Theard's Hill Top Women's Reproductive Clinic in El Paso closed last year after 36 years of terminating pre-born children. But his nearby clinic, 1/2 mile across the border in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, is still in operation.
"While Texas has always had fairly strict abortion restrictions and regulations, the state of New Mexico has none whatsoever," Mark Cavaliere of the Southwest Coalition for Life explains. "It's kind of infamous of the late-term capital of the nation. Abortion is legal in New Mexico for any reason at all up to the day of birth -- no parental consent for minors, no waiting period."
If a minor in Texas wants to thwart the state's parental notification law and get an abortion, she could do so by traveling to New Mexico.
As for El Paso, there is a Planned Parenthood there, but abortions were halted last year due to COVID-19. However, Cavaliere is not sure how much longer that pause will last.
"I fully expect Planned Parenthood is working to resume abortions soon, especially considering that situation where this other abortion business recently closed who had been competitors for them," the pro-lifer submits. "That serves their financial interest to be able to offer abortions here as soon as possible."
Some media reports indicate that while El Paso is free of abortion clinics, women could still terminate their preborn children in New Mexico for the price of a gallon of gas.
