Texas lawmakers are returning to the Capitol for the first legislative session since a statewide abortion ban took effect, and access to birth control for minors is likely to command fresh attention.
“The right to bodily autonomy is being taken away in so many different ways, it is really devastating,” said Sorsby-Jones, 20, who as a high school student three years ago was able to get birth control at a federally funded clinic in Texas after her parents refused to help her.
For Republicans, new proposals include penalizing companies that help their Texas employees seek abortions elsewhere, limiting access to abortion-inducing drugs by mail and dispensing emergency contraception. Anti-abortion groups are also pushing lawmakers in the wake of Texas' abortion ban to spend more money on services for pregnant and parenting Texans, including expanding Medicaid coverage for mothers.
When she volunteered with a nonprofit that helps teens access reproductive health resources, Sorsby-Jones said clients included minors in abusive households and those who faced cultural barriers in seeking parental permission for birth control. Though the main focus was contraceptive care, Sorsby-Jones said for many teens, it had to do with accessing medication without stigma for conditions such as endometriosis, which caused them to miss school due to severe abdominal pain.
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