Whereas a number of cities in Colorado are anticipated to turn out to be locations for individuals looking for abortions, Puebloans proceed to be 50 miles away from the closest Deliberate Parenthood.
Not like states which have or are anticipated to ban abortion, Pueblo’s lack of abortion providers has little to do with the Supreme Court docket’s June 24 choice.
In 2015, Pueblo’s Deliberate Parenthood location, 955 U.S. 50 West, was pressured to shut after the constructing was offered to a brand new proprietor, the Pueblo Galleria LLC., who refused to resume the lease, in keeping with a Jan. 2015 Pueblo Chieftain article. Following the sexual well being care organizations pressured exit from town, Pueblo has been with out abortion providers.
An agent with the Pueblo Galleria LLC. was contacted by the Chieftain for this text however didn’t touch upon why the lease was not renewed
Pressured relocations of Deliberate Parenthood care facilities could occur for numerous causes, in keeping with Adrienne Mansanares, President and CEO of Deliberate Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. There have been cases the place areas transfer following opposition from surrounding companies and landlords alike.
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“Sadly, we do see landlords who let political or non secular beliefs get in the best way of our relationship,” she mentioned. “It’s not frequent, nevertheless it does occur.”
Some people from Pueblo looking for an abortion or to obtain different reproductive well being care providers supplied by Deliberate Parenthood journey about 50 miles to Colorado Springs, the place round 500 sufferers from Pueblo are seen every year, Mansanares mentioned. Some Puebloans journey so far as Alamosa, Durango and even Farmington, New Mexico, to obtain care at Deliberate Parenthood areas.
“Whereas we don’t have a well being middle on the grounds in Pueblo, we do have choices,” Mansanares mentioned. “I need to strongly encourage anybody in Pueblo who’s looking for details about their being pregnant choices to offer us a name.”
Outdoors of abortion providers, Deliberate Parenthood affords breast and cervical most cancers screenings, sexually transmitted an infection testing, contraception prescriptions and different household planning providers.
“We do nonetheless present these providers at our well being middle in Colorado Springs and after we do see individuals come up from Pueblo, it might be as a result of their major care supplier has stopped offering providers or the wait instances within the public well being division clinics are simply and it’s simpler to come back out to Colorado Springs,” Mansanares mentioned.
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Lower than a month after the Supreme Court docket’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, Colorado’s Deliberate Parenthood areas are already seeing an inflow of sufferers coming in from neighboring states.
In keeping with the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive well being care coverage institute, 26 states are “sure or possible” to enact 6-week, 8-week, or near-total bans on abortion following the Supreme Court docket choice. The listing of states presumably instituting bans embody Arizona, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and Wyoming.
“We completely are seeing increasingly more sufferers touring, primarily from Texas and we’re already beginning to see sufferers from different states that banned abortion care like Oklahoma, Utah, Idaho and I think about we’ll proceed seeing them,” Mansanares mentioned.
Colorado is one in all six states the place there is no such thing as a gestational age restriction on abortion, in keeping with the Guttmacher Institute.
Pueblo County Well being Division’s Household Planning Clinic doing what they’ll to scale back unplanned pregnancies
As a consequence of its Title X federal funding, the Pueblo Division of Public Well being and Setting’s Household Planning Clinic is unable to carry out abortions, however the division is working to scale back the variety of unplanned pregnancies, particularly in teenagers and younger adults.
Traditionally, Pueblo County has seen excessive charges of teenage pregnancies. Nevertheless, charges have decreased considerably up to now decade, in keeping with Jody Carrillo, interim program supervisor on the PDPHE Household Planning Clinic.
In 2009, there have been 348 births amongst 15- to 19-year-olds in Pueblo County. Six years later, the variety of teen pregnancies was diminished almost 64% to 151 births. Carrillo mentioned the lower in teen pregnancies was largely a results of introducing long-acting reversible contraceptives to the Household Planning Clinic and different well being care suppliers in Pueblo County.
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Not like contraception drugs, long-acting reversible contraceptives reminiscent of intrauterine units and hormonal contraceptive implants could also be efficient for anyplace from three to 10 years, relying on the sort. Gadgets might be “costly, if not unattainable,” for low-income with out the clinic’s sliding charge scale for contraceptives, Carrillo mentioned.
“Household Planning and contraception providers are on a sliding charge scale, together with little to no charges for youth and confidential sufferers,” in keeping with the PDPHE Household Planning Clinic web site. “The sliding charge scale depends in your revenue and the way many individuals you assist. Sexually transmitted an infection testing and therapy shall be related to low-cost charges.”
Different contraceptive choices supplied by the clinic embody oral contraceptives, Depo-Provera injections, condoms, diaphragms, vaginal rings and patches. The clinic additionally supplies academic displays, STI testing, being pregnant testing and most cancers screening amongst different providers.
“Providers supplied by the Household Planning clinic shall be important to forestall unintended being pregnant,” Carrillo mentioned. “It’s vital for a feminine of reproductive age to have management of their well being, be supplied training and entry to high quality providers and contraceptive.”
Pueblo Chieftain reporter James Bartolo might be reached by e-mail at JBartolo@gannett.com
