Wealth will now largely determine which Texans can access abortion

Demonstrators cry out during the March of Mahogany rally in support of abortion rights in downtown Houston on May 14. The march was hosted by the Hoochies of Houston, an organization that focuses on empowering and protecting Black women. (Credit: Annie Mulligan for The Texas Tribune)

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday to strike down Roe v. Wade will help further create a single class of Texans able to terminate their pregnancies with little financial hardship: the wealthy.

Even before the ruling, a person living in Texas could expect to spend between $1,000 and $4,000 to cover the costs of obtaining a surgical abortion, shutting out all but the most financially secure residents and cutting off access to an already disadvantaged population of Texans.