Lack of access, public opinion can push rural women to dangerous abortion alternatives

A lack of access to abortion clinics and outspoken opposition to the procedure in rural America may be pushing rural women to dangerous alternatives. In the Rio Grande Valley, "Items said to be abortifacients —including pills, teas and shots — are well-known to be cheap and accessible just across the bridge" in Mexico, Laura Tillman reports for the Daily Yonder. "Misoprostol, a pill that makes up half of the two-drug combination prescribed for medical abortions in the United States, is easy to purchase over the counter in Mexico because of its effectiveness in treating ulcers. When used alone and taken correctly, it will produce a miscarriage between 80 and 85 percent of the time."

The closest abortion clinic is in Harlingen, Texas, 30 miles from the border. "That might not sound like much, but without a car it is difficult to make the trip discreetly," Tillman writes. Access isn't the only barrier for rural women seeking abortions; local opinions often act as another deterrent. "Widespread opposition to abortion in the Rio Grande Valley may not be obvious at first: it is not discussed in polite conversation," Tillman writes. "But spend a little time here and the bumper stickers that cry out from cars, the messages that dot billboards on the expressway and the rhetoric inside many churches resoundingly confirm an antiabortion message."

"In fact, abortion is so stigmatized, many women don't even realize it is legal," Tillman writes. Many women along the U.S.-Mexico border appear to be turning to Mexican drugs as an alternative to abortion but whether their actions represent "a broader trend is difficult to say, given the lack of data and the underground nature of self-induced abortions," Tillman writes. In Texas, Medicaid doesn't cover abortion except in cases of rape, incest or life endangerment, meaning costs can run between $450 to over $900. Comparatively, Misoprostol costs costs between $87 and $167 at a Mexican pharmacy.

"What we're dealing with now is thirty-five years of women being very publicly shamed by antichoice protesters," Gloria Feldt, former president of Planned Parenthood, told Tillman. "Underground abortion is one of the consequences." If used incorrectly, Misoprostol can cause the uterus to rupture and bring about internal bleeding. "Logically, you should go to a clinic," one woman who used Misoprostol told Tillman. "If you have the money, you should. It's safer. But the whole thing of being in a clinic like that is, it traumatizes people, too. Really, the more private thing and the more convenient thing to do would be to just take the pill." (Read more)