Dallas, November 23 (teleSUR-RHC)-- A new study found that between 100,000 and 240,000 women, mostly Latina, have carried out self-induced abortions at least once in Texas, a state where women’s reproductive rights have become a winning battleground for conservatives.

"I had no money to go to San Antonio, or to Corpus Christi. I did not even have money to cross the city ... I was broke," a young woman responded when asked why she had a self-induced abortion.

The answer is part of a larger Texas University study, published earlier this week, showing a worrying trend among low-income women, predominantly Latina, forced to self-abort in the absence of economic resources and limited access to abortion clinics.

The study found that at least 100,000 and up to 240,000 women had self-induced abortions in the southern state based on a representative sample from the female population of reproductive age in Texas.
  
"As access to clinics in Texas becomes more difficult, we can expect that most women will feel they have no other choice but to take charge of the matter (abortion) themselves," said Daniel Grossman, professor of reproductive sciences at the University of California and co-author of the study.

Since 2013 anti-abortion laws In Texas requires all clinics to meet certain health standards, which has led to the closure of more than half of the 41 centers that were open for abortion.

The clinic closures have affected vast numbers of people, as Texas, with its population of 26 million, has 5.4 million women of reproductive age, the second highest of this demographic of all the states.

Another 14 remain open but mostly in big cities, which make abortion largely inaccessible for Latina women who live closer to the border with Mexico.

"Many of the women surveyed acknowledged they would rather go to a clinic rather than have a self-induced abortion on their own. It’s not an ideal situation, " added Grossman. The anti-abortion legislation is now being contested at the Supreme Court, which announced on November 13th that it will hear its first abortion case in eight years.