By: Gema and Rimsha
As a practical support abortion fund championing bodily autonomy in a deeply red state, Fund Texas Choice is no stranger to the myriad of barriers beyond abortion care that create harsher realities for Texans. A hallmark of the reproductive justice framework is its interconnectedness with broader social movements and the recognition of the right to parent children, not parent children, and raise children in safe and sustainable communities, which includes immigrant communities. Everybody deserves the right to make informed decisions about their own body and yet, for many immigrants and other marginalized people, these rights are not always guaranteed or accessible.
We recognize that reproductive justice is not a single-issue struggle (See Audre Lorde’s statement: There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives). The simultaneous withdrawal of abortion access and this country’s long-standing history of injustice against Black and Brown people has created near-dystopian conditions for many immigrant communities.
Providing practical support services for out-of-state abortion care goes hand in hand with the recognition of how immigration injustice and reproductive injustice overlap. In turn, we are more explicitly aware of how to weave in the needs of Latine people, other immigrant communities, and other marginalized communities who reach out to Fund Texas Choice.
Immigrants who are seeking reproductive health and or abortion care are deserving of safety. Our work in funding Texans to travel for abortions is rooted in these core tenets.
According to the National Partnership for Women and Families issue brief, Latine people represent the largest group of people of color impacted by current abortion bans. Texas is home to over 2.9 million Latine people of childbearing age and of this number, 1.9 million are economically insecure. The average cost to travel out-of-state for abortion care can range anywhere from $500 to $1,000, which does not even include the cost of the procedure itself. There are factors to consider that logistically put abortion care beyond reach for millions of people – things like childcare, transportation, not having access to paid time off, and living in rural areas – to name a few. And thinking more acutely about the disadvantages faced by Latine communities, anti-immigration laws, and surveillance – especially for those at risk of deportation, detention, or forced family separation – makes traveling for abortion care impossible.
On top of figuring out out-of-state abortion care, which has been inaccessible in Texas long before the fall of Roe v. Wade, many immigrant communities live in fear. Between language barriers, surveillance, and the total lack of abortion clinics within hundreds of miles, we cannot ignore the compounding injustices that inhibit the physical and mental well-being of many of our clients.
The Texas-Mexico border extends nearly 2,000 miles and the communities that comprise the border region in our state are rich in culture and history. To leave the Rio Grande Valley and head north, travelers are required to cross a border checkpoint, sometimes more than one. This is also the largest border checkpoint region in the US. In a highly militarized and surveilled region such as South Texas, individuals and families are forced to engage with immigration enforcement beyond a border (but within the United States) and must learn to navigate the law. Access to reproductive health care in smaller rural communities is limited, where clinics and providers are located in another town or have less availability or services. Seeing a healthcare provider often means taking time away from work and finding childcare. As a result, accessing care is infrequent or very costly for most immigrant families living along the border.
The barriers to reproductive and maternal care are exacerbated for immigrants who experience detainment. Pregnant immigrants who are detained often experience injustices that lead to severe health complications. They are not granted medical care and are forced to endure painful and isolating pregnancies while in detention. A closer look at the Texas-Mexico border reveals only one example of how Fund Texas Choice has seen the negative impacts of anti-immigration sentiment firsthand, both for immigrants in detention facilities and for those residing along the border.
Other barriers to reproductive healthcare:
- Medical insurance
- Mistrust in healthcare
- Language barriers
- Crisis pregnancy centers
As our Intake Coordinator, I (Gema) sift through our hotline calls and speak to countless immigrant callers weekly who need to access an abortion out of state. For those who travel from South Texas, I cannot help but envision a loved one’s face as I listen to their stories and experiences. Each experience matters, every story shared is unique and deserves care, and I have learned that empathy and one’s own lived experience sustain you and give you hope in this movement. As a Tejana whose family has existed in what is now known as Texas for generations, I find myself deeply committed to building pathways for communities of color and immigrants to have the right to full reproductive autonomy and security over their own lives, specifically for those who live along the Rio Grande Valley. As an abortion practical support organization, we understand the strain of layered oppressive systems that work to weaken options for immigrants and other marginalized people. Our priority is filling the gap with tools and resources of support that can give folks the reproductive freedom to dictate how they want to live fuller lives.
At the time of this essay’s publication, lawyers are sounding the alarm about the unknown whereabouts of at least 48 people after ICE raids in New Mexico, where abortion remains legal and where many of Fund Texas Choice’s clients travel for abortion care. As we continue to monitor the anti-immigration sentiment on the rise, we hope to do what’s within our power to continue helping people make safe and healthy choices for their bodies and their futures.
Here are some resources to learn more about reproductive justice as an immigration justice issue:
- Get plugged in to the National Latina Institute of Reproductive Justice
- Learn about Intersectionality & Reproductive Justice from the National Network of Abortion Funds
- Check out this fact sheet by the National Women’s Law Center
- Read this paper, Reproductive Justice in the U.S. Immigration Detention System, from the National Library of Medicine
- Read Undocumented Motherhood by Elizabeth Farfan-Santos
- Become a monthly donor to Sueños Sin Fronteras, or donate to their Birth Justice Fund, a grassroots WOC led organization dedicated to supporting undocumented pregnant people in San Antonio
- Follow Trucha, a grassroots multimedia platform that uplifts the stories, culture, and social movements of migrant and queer communities in the Rio Grande Valley.
- Keep up with Frontera Fund, South Texans 4 RJ, Texas Immigration Law Council, and the Young Center
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