It found a 35 percent decrease in use of long-acting contraceptives and a 31 percent decrease in use of injectable contraceptives, though no significant change in short-term contraceptives. During this same period, the rate of childbirth covered by Medicaid increased by 27 percent in these counties compared to other counties not served by Planned Parenthood.
Study authors say this suggests these low-income women switched to a less reliable form of birth control or went without it altogether after the Planned Parenthood closures.
"It's not like there is a large, over-capacity of highly qualified providers of effective contraception out there just waiting for people to show up," study leader and sociologist at the University of Texas at Austin Joseph Potter told the Los Angeles Times.
Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a statement to NBC News that the research shows "the devastating consequences for women when politicians block access to care at Planned Parenthood."
"Texas is fast becoming a cautionary tale for politicians in Ohio, Utah, and other states targeting care at Planned Parenthood," she said.
The impact of Ohio lawmakers’ plan to cut $1.3 million in grant funding to Planned Parenthood is not expected to have the dramatic impact on the agency that more extensive Texas funding cuts had.
Conservative sources such as the National Review criticize the study and accuse the New England Journal of Medicine of playing politics.
"Overall good public-health data from Texas indicates that since Planned Parenthood was defunded, abortions have gone down significantly," wrote Michael J. New, a professor at Ave Maria University, in a response published by the Review.
“Additionally, the overall birth rate has gone down slightly. Most importantly, there is no evidence that the unintended-pregnancy rate has gone up.”
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