Mexican feminist groups aid U.S. women, especially poor English speakers, after abortion bans
Research shows that most Americans seeking abortions from Mexican feminist collectives are English-speaking women from poor, ban-state neighborhoods, chiefly Texas.
Public-health researcher Alexandra Wollum partnered with Mexican feminist leaders Verónica Cruz Castro and Sandra Cardona Alanís to examine who turns to Mexican collectives for abortion help. Their 2023 analysis revealed that 82% of requests originated from states like Texas where abortions are illegal, with higher request density in zip codes marked by poverty, low insurance coverage, and many Spanish speakers, yet the majority of callers were English speakers.
Since September 2021, Centro Las Libres and Red Necesito Abortar MX have mailed free misoprostol and mifepristone to U.S. women, responding to a surge after the Dobbs ruling. In that year alone, they logged at least 2,850 assistance requests. The findings underscore how restrictive U.S. laws push marginalized women toward cross-border, self-managed abortions, highlighting gaps in cost, distance, and language access.
Why it matters
The study shows how U.S. abortion bans force poor women to rely on cross-border aid, exposing health-access inequities.
In this story
