Maternal care deserts and abortion bans strain reproductive health in Florida and Texas

Southern Florida’s Immokalee community, despite being in a wealthy county, has no labor and delivery ward, compelling pregnant residents to drive long distances for care, sometimes resulting in births on the road. The only local provider, Healthcare Network, saw its patient count drop from about 2,200 in 2024 to 1,959 in 2025 amid immigration-status questioning that deters visits. State policy allocates nearly $30 million annually to crisis pregnancy centers, while specialist services are limited to a single clinic in Naples.

In Texas, more than 320,000 Latinas live in maternal-care deserts and over 200,000 lack abortion access, with many uninsured and undocumented. After the 2023 Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, birth rates among this group rose, and maternal mortality increased by 56% between 2019 and 2022, according to the Gender Equity Policy Institute. Stories like that of a 23-year-old student named Mónica illustrate the personal toll of restrictive laws and limited health resources.