SAN ANGELO, TX — The Planned Parenthood clinic in San Angelo closed in 2013 as fallout from the Texas Legislature’s action that placed tough new restrictions on groups that perform abortions. Prior to its closing, members of the Catholic Church’s local Knights of Columbus held almost weekly prayer vigils at the site of the clinic.
The clinic here did not perform abortions, but served as a referral center for San Angelo area women seeking them.
In Dallas last month, an anonymous donor pledged $9 million to Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas to construct two new health centers in west Texas if the centers are established within a year, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Since the closure 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a vote of 5-3 that the State of Texas cannot place restrictions on the delivery of abortion services that create an undue burden for women seeking an abortion in Health v. Hellerstedt in July 2016.
In addition to the $9 million anonymous gift, The Dallas Morning News reported that a separate donor committed $800,000.
A separate Planned Parenthood location in Midland also closed in 2013.
Locations of Planned Parenthood in Texas:
The sites of the 2013 closures put San Angelo in the sights of Planned Parenthood for a new clinic, the Diocese of San Angelo warned in an email to parishioners in early April.
“When Planned Parenthood seeks to purchase or build new facilities, they have been known to utilize anonymous third parties in order to slide in under the radar of local pro-life citizens. We should all keep our eyes open,” wrote Bishop Michael Sis.
Of the 35 Planned Parenthood locations in Texas, six perform abortions, according to the Dallas newspaper. The closest clinic is near San Antonio. The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reported this week that all Planned Parenthood clinics in Lubbock closed five years ago.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported in 2016 that Medicaid-funded births in Texas counties without a Planned Parenthood facility increased 27.1 percent 18 months after the clinics' closures. The Washington Post reported the cost to Medicaid for childbirth is around $8,000 each.
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And you can hear the pounding of the keyboard by our long-winded friend. Wait for it.....
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PermalinkWhile I would be for them coming back to town for womens healthcare, the statement they did not perform any abortions is incorrect. They did not perform any SURGICAL terminations - those were referred to their Midland office, they did however do the medical pill terminations here.
As far as the healthcare part, that is needed. I am here in part because they found I had cervical cancer cells during a yearly check up I had there during a no insurance period after college. If not for them, my story might have been a bad one.
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Permalink"they did however do the medical pill terminations here" - If you're referring to Plan B, that's remained available at multiple pharmacies OTC in San Angelo, not just PP
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PermalinkNo, not referring to Plan B. They used Misoprostol for up to 10 weeks. You can Google it & still find their info for offering it.
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Permalinkhttp://www.pregnancyhelpcenter.net/our-services/
Amazing group of people keep this place going... Got my first peek of my kiddos here.
PHC also has support services for post loss, post adoption and post abortion all free of cost.
If you have experienced any of these 3 losses, there's help out there, you only have to reach out.
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PermalinkNot a rant - just some important information:
Sharing some information: Sometimes you have to check around to find the help that is available. I read many of the comments and decided to make some phone calls. The Health Department at 2030 Pulliam Street, Suite 8 in San Angelo offers STD testing for a very reasonable amount. The office visit and testing for HIV, Chlamydia/Gonorrhea, and VD is $25.00 - Monday, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and from 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. please call 657-4214 to make an appointment or stop by. I was curious about how much Planned Parenthood would charge and I called their office in San Antonio at the Babcock address. For the office visit and the tests I listed above the full price would cost $300.00. If you have insurance they would charge that amount. I know that they have a sliding scale depending on your income but $25.00 sounds pretty reasonable. Planned Parenthood does not do mammograms, they do not have the equipment to perform mammograms however they do perform breast exams and pap smears. Las Esperanza Clinics (3 locations in San Angelo) also perform pap smears and breast exams plus so many more healthcare needs including some dental and they also charge according to your income. The Pregnancy Help Center in San Angelo offers free pregnancy testing and free sonograms. They also provide services such as free parenting classes and they have a wide selection of baby clothes that are given away and they have some maternity clothes too. If you are having trouble paying for your prescriptions please let your doctor know and maybe they can prescribe something similar but more affordable - and ask for samples - sometimes they have what you need and will give you the sample. If you need a mammogram and cannot afford one let your doctor know because there is a foundation here that will help with the cost. And last but definitely not least - if you are dealing with a crisis pregnancy - adoption is a loving life option. I was adopted at birth and I have a lot of resource information if you are interested.
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PermalinkI had to do a long essay in this exact topic 4 years ago. Plan b is used within 72 hours. San Angelo offered an abortion service as long as you were less than 8-10 weeks along. It was 3 pill capsules. 2 different things. Most people didn't know that.
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PermalinkYou're correct. Google still lists it as a service they offered.
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