Envisioning an ecosystem of abortion support: Conversations with community members in Texas
Blanchard K, Gerdts C, Jayaweera R, Ruggiero S, Scott L. Ibis Reproductive Health. April 2026.
Access to abortion in the United States (US) varies widely depending on where a person lives, due to a patchwork of state laws that dictate when, where, and how someone can seek care. In addition to state legislation, a person’s experience seeking abortion care is also impacted by structural and personal factors like their identity, social support, financial situation, and physical and mental health.
In Texas, abortion is illegal with very limited exceptions. To better understand Texans’ perspectives on access to abortion and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care in the current moment, the Afiya Center hosted two focus group discussions with community members. These conversations highlighted the needs of Texans seeking abortion care in the current legal landscape and their perspectives about potential future models of abortion care, including medication abortion over the counter (MAB OTC). We hope our findings will inform strategies to build an ecosystem of support that centers the needs of abortion seekers, particularly those the face the most barriers to care, and builds toward a world aligned with principles of reproductive justice and liberation, where people have access to the full spectrum of abortion options and can choose the care that works best for them.