Texas teen mothers lack autonomy over their reproductive health
Legislation would give teen mothers access to birth control
(AP Photos: Jessie Wardaski)
(AP Photos: Jessie Wardaski)
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin. (Photo: The Texas Tribune)
Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin. (Photo: The Texas Tribune)
A monthly prescription of oral contraceptives. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)
A monthly prescription of oral contraceptives. (AP/Rich Pedroncelli)
(Graph: Congressional Research Service)
(Graph: Congressional Research Service)
Brownsville's Lincoln Park High School (Photo: Lincoln Park High School's Facebook page)
Brownsville's Lincoln Park High School (Photo: Lincoln Park High School's Facebook page)
(Graph: Tarrant County Public Health Data Brief)
(Graph: Tarrant County Public Health Data Brief)
Collins Family Planning Clinic, a Title X clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo: Collins Family Planning Clinic's Facebook)
Collins Family Planning Clinic, a Title X clinic in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo: Collins Family Planning Clinic's Facebook)
Teen moms in Texas can make decisions about their children's health, but they can't access prescription birth control without parental consent.
Texas Title X clinics, which are federally funded, have been barred from offering contraception without parental consent since a court ruling March 2022. This decision was upheld last year by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, ending the possibility of providing confidential contraceptive services for minors in Texas.
"Healthcare broadly has become more inaccessible, especially for young parents who lack many of the same basic rights as adult parents," said Jeffrey Clemmons, communications director for Sen. Sarah Eckhardt, D-Austin.
Senate Bill 348 would grant unmarried minor mothers the ability to make decisions regarding postpartum medical care and contraception without parental consent. The bill applies only to unmarried minors because married individuals are considered adults under Texas law.
It would allow teen mothers access to most forms of reproductive healthcare, including oral contraceptives, implants and intrauterine devices.
If the bill passes, Texas will join the vast majority of states that allow teen mothers to consent to their medical care–an effort to improve quality of life and reduce teen pregnancy rates.
"SB 348 intends to empower young parents to take their healthcare into their own hands," Clemmons said.
Texas has the nation's eighth-highest teen birth rate. One in six teen pregnancies in Texas involved a mother who already has at least one child.
Texas, which leads the nation in repeat teen pregnancies, does not require public schools to teach sex education.
Among the schools that do, abstinence is the recommended form of prevention, and parents must opt in to the class option.
“We need to be proactive instead of reactive,” Cynthia Cardenas, the principal of Lincoln Park High School in Brownsville, Texas, told the Texas Tribune. “The parents will not talk to their students about safe sex. It’s just not an open conversation here. These girls need to be educated.” Every student at Lincoln Park High School is either pregnant or parenting.
Tarrant County's teen birth rate is 16% lower than the Texas average but still 22% above the national average. Local organizations such as the Women’s Center of Tarrant County, the Fort Worth Planned Parenthood, and the Fort Worth Pregnancy Center offer support for young mothers.
Title X
The federally sponsored Title X Family Planning Program provides reproductive health services to low-income individuals. While the program encourages parental involvement, it does not explicitly require parental consent.
In 2020, Alexander Deanda, a Texas man with three daughters, sued to block teen access to confidential contraception from Title X clinics. Deanda argued that the clinics violated parental rights under Texas law.
Texas Title X clinics can still offer minors testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests, condoms and counseling without parental consent.
Alexander Deanda. (Photo: Conservatives of Texas website)
Alexander Deanda. (Photo: Conservatives of Texas website)
Potential opposition and local effects
Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, who ruled in favor of Deanda in the Title X lawsuit. (Photo: First Liberty Institute)
Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, who ruled in favor of Deanda in the Title X lawsuit. (Photo: First Liberty Institute)
SB 348 is in its early stages and will likely face pushback from conservative lawmakers and parental rights advocates.
Family Circle of Care in Tyler, Texas. (Photo: Family Circle of Care Health Centers)
Family Circle of Care in Tyler, Texas. (Photo: Family Circle of Care Health Centers)
Not all parents are open to their daughters receiving contraceptive care. Dr. Josephine Porter has experienced parental resistance at her clinic two hours east of Fort Worth. Family Circle of Care, a Title X clinic in Tyler, Texas, provided minors with confidential contraceptive care, until the 2022 ruling.
Dr. Josephine Porter, lead OB/GYN physician at Family Circle of Care in Tyler, Texas. (Photo: Family Circle of Care Health Centers)
Dr. Josephine Porter, lead OB/GYN physician at Family Circle of Care in Tyler, Texas. (Photo: Family Circle of Care Health Centers)
After the change, Porter told the Texas Tribune, that some patients take the parental consent forms and never return to her clinic, knowing they will not be able to get their parent's permission.
She said she worries most about the patients who disappear from the healthcare system until they show up pregnant or with a sexually transmitted infection, she said.
If passed, SB 348 could directly impact postpartum and contraceptive healthcare for teen mothers in Texas. The bill represents a pivotal shift in Texas’ approach to reproductive healthcare for teen mothers. By allowing unmarried minor mothers access to postpartum care and contraception without parental consent, the bill aims to reduce teen pregnancies and improve overall quality of life. While the bill like likely face criticism, the passage could fill crucial gaps left by restrictions on Title X services. Texas remains a key state in the nation's reproductive debate, and SB 348 represents a significant potential change.
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