Working in the Aftermath: How Texas Social Services Providers are Navigating Services Post Roe

A new report highlights six ways abortion restrictions are influencing social service providers' work

Although social service providers are not directly linked to reproductive health care and abortion, by the nature of their primary role as brokers and facilitators of services in settings such as domestic violence shelters, hospitals, and child welfare agencies, they are often a gateway to access. To better understand how recent changes in abortion laws affect social service providers and their clients, a study at the University of Colorado Boulder surveyed and interviewed social service providers in Texas in January 2023. The study identified six key themes (below) highlighting how abortion restrictions are influencing their work and their clients’ access to care. The report describes these in greater detail.

Social service providers are witnessing harm to their clients.
Social service providers do not understand crisis pregnancy centers.
Agency leadership is not providing guidance, so providers work with a code of silence around the topic of abortion.
Social service providers are not sure what is legal.
Social service providers need resources.
Social service providers are experiencing intense anxiety for themselves and their clients.

Learn more in the full report.

Katie Massey Combs is a Research Associate at the University of Colorado Boulder in the Institute of Behavioral Science. Her research focuses on the prevention of behavioral health problems and the promotion of well-being among vulnerable youth, specifically unwanted pregnancy among youth involved in foster care. Trained in social work and public health, she is keenly interested in interdisciplinary and applied research to understand what works, and in using research to inform practice and policy. Read more about Katie Massey Combs.