Austin To Be First US City To Fund Abortion Support Services
AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Abortion advocates say Texas' capital of Austin has become the first city in the nation to provide funding toward logistical services for abortion access.
The Austin City Council voted on Tuesday to allocate $150,000 of its next year's budget for transportation, lodging and childcare for local women seeking abortions.
Sarah Lopez of Fund Texas Choice says the move made "Austin the first city in the nation to provide practical support funding for residents seeking an abortion."
It comes in the wake of a new Texas law passed this year that bans contracts between abortion providers and government entities.
Austin Mayor Pro Tem Delia Garza says the funding will break down some of the barriers created by restrictions at the state and federal level that limit access to abortion. Much like a 20-year-old Amarillo woman, who asked to be identified only as Angel, who said she already has two children.
Many abortion seekers "don't even realize how far away a clinic is until they start looking," she said.
The unmarried woman made a solo 290-mile drive to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in June just to get an abortion.
(© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
