Thinking about investing $10 million in an abortion clinic

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has pledged $10 million to build a clinic in Las Cruces that would provide “the full spectrum of reproductive health care,” including abortions.

Yes, the need is there. Even before the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe V. Wade decision, New Mexico had become a destination for desperate women. Patients, mostly from Texas, have more than doubled, and existing clinics can’t meet the demand.

Can we hit pause? I support women’s rights but have to ask if the state of New Mexico should be in the abortion business.

As lots of people have pointed out, the state’s healthcare system is thin. We don’t have the doctors, nurses and other skilled workers we need during normal times. The proposed clinic would compete with existing facilities for these employees, although it’s possible that relocating abortion providers might augment our numbers. What is the state doing to train and attract medical professionals?

The money would come from the governor’s share of capital outlay, used to build public buildings and infrastructure. The usual avenue for something like this would be to earmark $10 million for a state entity to build a facility. Does she have buy-in from New Mexico State University’s Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine or the UNM School of Medicine? The governor mentioned having a contractor run the facility. Before spending $10 million we need to hear more about its operation?

Then there’s the question of other clinics in Las Cruces. The state’s second largest city, easily reached from Texas and Arizona, will be the new home of Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the clinic at the heart of the Supreme Court decision. It relocated from Mississippi. In addition, Planned Parenthood expects to have a Las Cruces clinic, along with Whole Woman’s Health, which is raising funds to relocate from Texas, according to El Paso Matters.

Las Cruces has become the region’s new battleground for anti-abortion groups. The Mississippi group’s clinic, called the Pink House West after the original clinic, is at 2918 Hillrise Drive. The anti-abortion Southwest Coalition for Life plans to open a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) at 2908 Hillrise Drive. According to the American Public Health Association, CPCs are largely religiously affiliated centers whose primary purpose is to keep women from seeking abortions by “purporting to counsel women on their pregnancy options”; they often provide inaccurate information.

In New Mexico CPCs outnumber abortion clinics 3 to 1.

The focus of the governor and her supporters is not just abortion. Luzhilda Campos, policy co-director with Bold Futures, told the online Source NM that even with abortion access, “there have been gaps in the care that has been provided… Being able to have more, not just the abortion care, but a clinic that encompasses more than just abortion, a full spectrum of reproductive health care, is huge.”

The November election figures in this announcement in no small way. Pundits say abortion has transformed the midterm elections from a rout for Democrats to an even fight and eliminated the expected red wave. In New Mexico the Albuquerque Journal’s recent polling showed the governor seven points ahead of Republican contender Mark Ronchetti. Women favor Lujan Grisham over Ronchetti 50% to 36%.

Ronchetti objects to taxpayers funding a clinic that might provide late-term abortions. He’s painted himself as moderate because he would ban abortion after 15 weeks and make exceptions for rape, incest or saving the mother’s life. The Journal poll found that 35% of voters think abortion should always be legal, and 22% think it should be legal with some limitations.

This might be a workable idea, but the timing – mid-campaign – with few supporting details smacks of other boondoggles like the Spaceport and state-owned super computers. Capital outlay money should be part of a solid plan for women’s healthcare.

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Thinking about investing $10 million in an abortion clinic