Presence and absence: Crisis pregnancy centers and abortion facilities in the contemporary reproductive justice landscape

Abstract

This article uses driving time to examine the geographic relationship of abortion facilities to crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) in terms of race/ethnicity and population density. We analyze both the current reproductive justice landscape and predict how this landscape will change following the projected reversal of Roe v. Wade. Our results demonstrate that disparities in the presence of abortion facilities and CPCs manifest in terms of rural/urban classification and race/ethnicity. These disparities will become more pronounced in the post-Roe landscape. Four major findings include: 1.) Following the projected reversal of Roe, the ratio of abortion facilities to CPCs will change from 1:3 to 1:5; 2.) the number of people who live closer to a CPC than an abortion facility will nearly double post-Roe; 3.) people in rural areas live in disproportionate proximity to CPCs, although the number of people in large metropolitan areas living closer to a CPC than an abortion facility will increase nearly four-fold post-Roe; 4.) compared to other racial and ethnic groups, a greater percentage of Native Americans live closer to a CPC than an abortion facility and the share of Black and Hispanic/Latino people who live closer to a CPC than an abortion facility will more than double post-Roe. Ultimately, our results push scholars, advocates, and policy makers to discuss access to reproductive healthcare and reproductive justice in terms of presence of CPCs as much as absence of abortion facilities.