PHOTOGRAPHER – MEGAN GARCHAR The Planned Parenthood in Glenwood Springs is located just off of Highway 6 & 24
ANA HOLGUIN GOMEZ – EDUCATION EDITOR
Abortion is a common procedure in the United States and a major component of reproductive health care. In the U.S., 61 million women are of reproductive age (15-44 years), and 70% (43 million) of those women are at risk of an unintended pregnancy. Despite these numbers, abortion access and service availability vary greatly across states. Some women have to travel to receive abortion services in other states, especially in areas where services are restricted or limited. Overall, there are several barriers to legal abortion services, including travel and its associated costs, transportation, and accommodations.
According to 2014 statistics, 90 percent of U.S. counties lacked an abortion clinic, and five states had only one. Additionally, at that time, 45 percent of pregnancies in Colorado were unplanned. The Colorado Family Planning Initiative was passed in 2015, and it includes offering intrauterine devices (IUDs) or implants at little to no cost. Before the Colorado Family Planning Initiative there were more than 10,000 abortions a year in the state of Colorado. Since then, the reported annual number of abortions in Colorado has dropped to about 9,000 per year. The abortion rate fell by 42% among women of all ages, according to Colorado Department of Health and Environment.
Despite the widespread increase of education across the United States, many women still experience the pain of finding the correct abortion care they desire. Colorado Mesa Student (CMU) student Ashely explained that an abortion was the last thing she thought she would experience in college.
“The decision to have an abortion was one of the most difficult [ones] I’ve ever made,” she said. “But after I decided, the next step was to find a clinic. I looked for hours. We even asked around and she if anyone had connections. My boyfriend and I looked and there was nothing. The closest clinic to Grand Junction is a Planned Parenthood in Glenwood Springs, which is [90 miles away].”
According to their website, Planned parenthood resources not only provide abortion services, but they also offer STD testing and treatment, birth control, cancer screening and prevention, as well as other general healthcare services. Ashely decided to go to Planned Parenthood in Glenwood.
“After the procedure I laid in bed,” she said. “My boyfriend was beside me and all I could do was cry. Hot tears ran down my cheeks and I prayed I made the right decision.”
Ashley considered herself lucky. She was able to drive to a clinic and get the right care. CMU Nursing Student Jayse had a completely different story.
Jayse found out she was pregnant in early spring of 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdown.
“I saw those two lines [and] I was instantly sent into a state of hysteria,” Jayse said.
Due to the absence of local options, she turned to alternative methods.
“I knew immediately I had to [abort] it,” Jayse said. “After I broke down I began to realize that I was on the clock, so I thought of a coat hanger. I went back and forth, but as soon [as] I checked my bank account, I realized going to Glenwood wasn’t possible. So, I asked a friend who had a friend who had gone through it, and that very night I sat in my bathtub.”
In 2017, there were 12,390 abortions that were reported in the state of Colorado. However, the abortions performed in Grand Junction are not included in that number. In an attempt to collect statistics in regards to the Grand Valley, Mesa County Public Health denied recording any abortion numbers or services. The Pregnancy Center of Grand Junction, St. Mary’s OBGYN, and Women’s HealthCare of Colorado did not make a comment.
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