In the Media

The Texas Tribune Panel: State of Women's Health

At the Tribune's April 25 symposium on women's health care at the University of Texas at Austin, Emily Ramshaw talked about the state of women's health in Texas with state Reps. Sarah Davis, R-West University Place, and Bryan Hughes, R-Mineola; Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Woman's Health; and Joe Potter of the University of Texas at Austin's Population Research Center.

Texas Observer Article

The Texas Observer recently published an article entitled, Need an Abortion in Texas? Don't be Poor. The article says that recently legislative actions in Texas have made abortion an option that is increasingly out of reach for low-income women. Project research is cited in the article.

New York Times Article

An article appeared in the New York Times on May 4 entitled, Texas Lawmakers Set to Restore Women's Health Budgets. The article discusses the possibility of the legislature reinstating a significant amount of the family planning funding that was cut in the 2011 legislative session. TX-PEP research is mentioned in the eighth paragraph.

Austin American-Statesman Editorial

The Austin American-Statesman recently published an editorial written by TX-PEP Principal Investigator Joe Potter entitled Legislators should seize opportunity to restore family planning budget cuts. The editorial discusses the data acquired by the research team on the effects of the 2011 family planning funding reduction. Media coverage of its conclusions can be found below.

Women's Health Policy Report

TxPEP Family Planning Data Finder

Tx-PEP recently released its own app, the TxPEP Family Planning Data Finder, showcasing its findings on the effects of the recent cuts in family planning funding. App users can see data on family planning services for each legislative district in Texas, allowing them to track how those services have changed as a result of the reduction in funding. Press coverage of the app can be found below.

SB 537

A regulation change included in the recently proposed Texas Senate Bill 537 would require all abortions in Texas to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers. This could cause 37 of Texas's 42 abortion facilities to close if the law is adopted. TX-PEP Consultant Amy Hagstrom Miller and Graduate Student Researcher Amanda Stevenson are quoted in the following articles about the bill.

Testimony

Principal Investigator Dr. Joe Potter offered expert testimony at the Texas legislature on March 13 on bills related to family planning. Media coverage of the event can be found below.

Texas Tribune

Representative Farrar's Press Conference

TX-PEP researchers Joe Potter and Daniel Grossman spoke at a press conference held by State Representative Jessica Farrar on March 6. The press conference introduced a bill Representative Farrar plans to file shortly which would repeal HB 15, the Texas law that requires women to undergo a 24-hour waiting period after they receive a sonogram before an abortion can be performed. Dr. Potter and Dr. Grossman cited TX-PEP results indicating that while 90% of women surveyed said that the waiting period did not make a difference in their decision about abortion, many of them did say it imposed additional financial and logistical burdens. Links to various stories on the event are below.

Project Research is Cited to Explain the Effects of Recent Family Planning Cuts

Project research is being used to attempt to quantify the effects of recent cuts to the family planning budget in the state of Texas. These cuts have affected the operating capacity of various clinics providing family planning services.

Jumping the Shark on Women's Health

Planned Parenthood Injunction Granted

Joseph Potter testified for Planned Parenthood in a hearing on November 8 in U.S. District Court as an expert witness. At the hearing, Planned Parenthood was granted an injunction which will prevent the state of Texas from removing them from the Women’s Health Program under the recently passed “affiliate ban rule” until their suit against the state of Texas is settled.

Media reports on the hearing can be found below:

Media Reaction to “Cutting Family Planning in Texas"

In "Cutting Family Planning in Texas," TxPEP investigators Kari White, Daniel Grossman, Kristine Hopkins, and Joseph E. Potter discuss the mechanisms through which massive family planning budget cuts are affecting reproductive health in Texas. They conclude that the new laws have resulted in clinic closures and reduced clinic hours, the charging of fees for previously free family planning services, and a reduction in availability of more expensive and effective methods of contraception.

The article was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on September 26. State and local news outlets released reports coinciding with the publication of the article, and since then it has gained national attention. Several media sources and community organizations have written about or promoted the article on their own websites; links below.

The Texas Policy Evaluation Project researchers are featured in the following news stories:

The Texas Tribune featured Tx-PEP in a video story by Thanh Tan. "Measuring the Effects of Texas Family Planning Cuts" includes interviews with Tx-PEP's principal investigator Joseph Potter and PRC Trainee Amanda Stevenson. Images of most of the rest of the Tx-PEP team, including Kristine Hopkins, Celia Hubert, Abbie Aiken, and Kari White, are also in the video.

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