The New Mexico Department of Health is seeking Texas doctors with an advertising campaign targeting the state’s strict abortion laws.
Full-page advertisements appeared Sunday in the editions of five major Texas newspapers, including the Star-Telegram.
The newspaper ads feature an open letter from the governor of New Mexico. Michelle Lujan Grisham inviting doctors in Texas to “consider practicing near New Mexico” if they are frustrated with the Lone Star State’s abortion law.
Texas has one of the strictest laws in the country, banning most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.
The only exception is for conditions that threaten the mother’s life. However, the Texas Medical Board declined to say in June what those conditions are exactly.
Andrea Palmer, a gynecologist in Fort Worth, told the Star-Telegram in a June interview that she was concerned about the declining health care available to women in Texas.
Palmer said the “best and brightest” used to see Texas as a great place to pursue their medical education and careers, but because of strict abortion laws, that is no longer the case.
“Beyond the need for abortion care, I think we will have fewer gynecologists in the state over time,” Palmer said.
According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, enrollment in OB-GYN residencies in Texas is down 16% for the 2023-2024 cycle.
According to the association, the number of applications in all specialisms fell by 11.7%.
New Mexico needs doctors: 32 of the state’s 33 counties were designated by the federal government as having a shortage of health care professionals by 2023, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
According to Patrick Allen, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health, the state has spent $400,000 on advertising in Texas newspapers and on billboards at the Texas Medical Center in Houston.
Allen said Texas was chosen because of its record on abortion and its proximity to New Mexico. If the campaign is successful, Allen said, the department will consider expanding the campaign to other states.
“In New Mexico, you can fully exercise your medical judgment without having to worry about a prosecutor or sheriff looking over your shoulder and questioning your judgment in health care,” Allen said.
The ads contain the URL to a website, Free To Provide NM.
The website includes a database of medical jobs in New Mexico, as well as medical licensing resources and links to lifestyle and education resources.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office responded to Grisham in a statement following the release of the ads.
“People and businesses vote with their feet and consistently choose to relocate to Texas, more than any other state in the country. Governor Lujan Grisham should be focusing on her state’s rapidly declining population instead of political stunts,” officials from the governor’s office said.
