Dallas

United States of America / Texas / Dallas

OVERVIEW

Contraception

General Note: There are many types of contraceptives, also known as "birth control," including IUDs, oral contraceptives, patches, shots, and condoms, etc. If you would like to view a full list, click here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

In Texas, contraception is generally legal but restrictions apply. You need a prescription to obtain birth control. Furthermore, if you are under 18 years old, you typically need permission from your parents. In fact, Texas is one of only two US states that does not allow state funds to be used for contraceptive use without parental consent. If you cannot get permission from your parents, you can confidentially get birth control from Title X clinics (see section below where you can find them in Dallas). Note that Title X clinics are available to all people, regardless of their age or if they have parental consent, and they may even be able to give you birth control at a reduced cost or no cost at all depending on your financial situation. Also, if you're on Medicaid, you can get birth control at Texas clinics that accept Medicaid (even if you're under 18 and with no parental consent required).

For many women, access to contraception in Texas is hampered by little government funding. This began in 2011, when 66% of state funds for Planned Parenthood in were cut. Later in 2013, the state replaced its Medicaid program with the Texas Women's Health Program, thereby allowing them to cut all former Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. These Planned Parenthood facilities served 60% of the state's low-income women.

As reported by the Houston Chronicle, "In Texas, limits on abortion get the big headlines. But access to effective birth control has been weakened in the crossfire. When lawmakers kicked Planned Parenthood out of the state's Women's Health Program in 2013, they assured Texans that women would find providers elsewhere for family planning. This week, a University of Texas study published in the New England Journal of Medicine produced strong evidence that Texas has failed to fill the void. In counties affected by the Planned Parenthood exclusion, claims for long-acting contraceptives dropped by more than 35 percent, and requests for injectable contraceptives dropped 31 percent. Meanwhile, Medicaid-paid births spiked among women who previously had used injectable methods."

Furthermore, the decreased accessibility of affordable birth control has increased pregnancy rates. As reported by the LA Times, "The researchers calculated that the relative increase in births was 27% for women who lost access to Planned Parenthood. Many of these births were probably unplanned, since the increase was only seen in counties where women faced new hurdles in access to contraception, the study authors wrote... The study doesn’t prove that the change in Texas policy was directly responsible for the increase in births, the researchers noted. But after making it more difficult for women to get safe, reliable birth control, women switched to less reliable contraceptive methods, or skipped them altogether. The result is dozens of additional babies born to some of the thousands of women who had been served by the shuttered clinics."

From an educational standpoint, contraception has also struggled to receive state support. In 2009, it was found over half of Texas teenagers lost their virginity in high school. However, 94% of Texas high school students receive an abstinence-only education. This is largely due to the fact that Texas financially awards schools that teach abstinence-only curricula whereas it does not provide financial incentives for those that do. Furthermore, schools often feel that they need to cater to the needs of their students' parents who may object to sex-education.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Title X Clinics in Dallas -- clinics that do not require parental consent for minors to obtain birth control

• Parkland – East Dallas Women’s Health Center: 3320 Live Oak, 5th Floor , Dallas , Texas 75204, Phone: (214) 266-1200
• Parkland – Hatcher Station Health Center: 4600 Scyene Rd., Dallas, Texas 75210, Phone: (214) 266-1200
• Parkland Hospital Main Campus – WISH Tubal Clinic: 5201 Harry Hines Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75235, Phone: (469) 419-1341
• Parkland – Lakewest Women’s Health Center: 3737 Goldman Ave, Dallas , Texas 75212, Phone: (214) 266-0900
• Parkland – Maple Women’s Health Center: 6300 Harry Hines Blvd, Suite 600, Dallas , Texas 75235, Phone: (214) 266-0130
• Parkland – Deharo Saldivar Women’s Health Center: 1400 N. Westmoreland Road, Dallas , Texas 75211, Phone: (214) 266-0580
• Parkland – Oakwest Women’s Health Center: 4201 Brook Spring Dr., Dallas , Texas 75224, Phone: (214) 266-1400
• Parkland – Southeast Dallas Women’s Health Center: 9202 Elam Road, Dallas , Texas 75217, Phone: (214) 266-1500
• Parkland – Irving Women’s Health Center: 1800 N. Britain Rd, Irving, Texas 75061, Phone: (214) 266-3200 (close to Dallas)

Emergency Contraception

Important Notes: Emergency contraception may prevent pregnancy for three days (72 hours) and sometimes five days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Take EC as soon as possible after unprotected sex. If you don't have access to dedicated EC, oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC, but remember the following: 1) Only some contraceptives work as EC 2) Different contraceptives require different dosages and time schedules to work as EC 3) You must only use the first 21 pills in 28-day packs and 4) They may be less effective than dedicated EC. For general information on emergency contraceptives, click here and here.

Laws & Social Stigmas

Emergency contraception is available without a prescription in Texas. There are no age restrictions for purchase. According to Tex. Health and Safety Code Ann. § 323.005, the Department of Health Services must provide information to sexual assault survivors, including methods to prevent pregnancy and STIs. Furthermore, emergency rooms in Texas are required to provide information on EC. But, unlike emergency rooms in many other states, they are not required to actually dispense EC on request.

In Texas, women can purchase EC in pharmacies, clinics or Planned Parenthood facilities. However, there are reported cases throughout the US of some pharmacists refusing to sell EC. We have provided a list below (see 'What to Get & Where to Get It') for legitimate EC sellers in the Dallas area.

Warning: There are misinformation campaigns in Texas that falsely state that certain emergency contraceptives are abortion pills. For example, when one searches for information on ellaOne in Texas via Google, the Texas Right to Life website comes up very high in Google rankings. This website falsely claims that ellaOne induces abortion, and it provides absolutely no medical reports or scientific studies to back up this claim. Be careful to read international and medically valid reports, rather than PR pieces from special interest groups, about your health care.

What to Get & Where to Get It

Note: The longest-lasting EC is currently ellaOne. It lasts up to 5 days (120 hours) after unprotected sex. Check to see if your country carries ellaOne. If your country doesn't carry ellaOne, copper IUDs may also prevent pregnancy up to 5 days after unprotected sex. If none of these options are available, and it's been over 3 days since you had unprotected sex, you can still take EC, which may work up to 5 days. Note that EC pills are not 100% effective and should be taken as soon as possible.

In the United States, you'll generally be able to find Plan B One-Step, Next Choice One-Dose and My Way in pharmacies. Here's a full breakdown of what you can expect to find, thanks to the Princeton EC Website:

Dedicated Products / Anti-Progestin Take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• ella

Dedicated Products / Progestin Only Take 1 pill within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• My Way
• Next Choice One Dose
• Plan B One-Step
• Take Action

Take 2 pills within 120 hours after unprotected sex:

• Levonorgestrel Tablets (available from a pharmacist without a prescription)

If you can't access emergency contraception, many oral contraceptives can be used as replacement EC. The list of potential contraceptives that can be used for this purpose is very long, and instructions vary according to the specific brand. So, to find specific instructions based on the brands you may have available, please check out the Princeton EC Website. You can search for EC under "United States" and see recommended pills and dosages on that site.

Here's a list of pharmacies/resources in the Dallas area that sell EC:

• Tom Thumb: 9 Highland Park Village, Dallas, TX , (214) 599-1978
• Tom Thumb: 315 S. Hampton, Dallas, TX, (214) 331-0169
• Tom Thumb: 6333 East Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, TX, (214) 823-9916
• Tom Thumb: 7000 Snider Plaza, University Park, TX, (214) 346-4586
• Tom Thumb: 5809 E. Lovers Lane, Dallas, TX , (214) 750-3210
• Tom Thumb: 6770 Abrams Road, Dallas, TX , (214) 341-4590
• Tom Thumb: 10455 N. Central Expressway, Dallas, TX, (214) 369-7328
• Tom Thumb: 11920 Preston Road, Dallas, TX, (972) 980-4915
• Tom Thumb: 8698 Skillman, Dallas, TX, (214) 340-1368
• Tom Thumb: 3757 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX, 972) 241-7442
• Dallas Surgical Health Services Center - Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Inc.: 7424 Greenville Avenue, Ste 211A, Dallas, TX , (214) 373-1868
• North Dallas Shelburne Health Center - Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Inc.: 9100 N. Central Expwy, #169, Dallas, TX , (214) 368-1485
• Mesquite Health Center - Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Inc.: 1220 Town East Blvd. #240, Mesquite, TX , (972) 613-0915

Costs

Generally, EC will cost between $30-65 in the States. Average seems to be about $50.

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs/STDs)

Important Notes - Learn about PEP and PrEP: If you think that you've been recently exposed to HIV (i.e. within 72 hours), seek out PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a month-long treatment to prevent HIV infection after exposure, and it may be available in your city. Take PEP as soon as possible. For more information, click here. If you are at risk of HIV exposure, seek out PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis). It's a daily oral pill that can prevent HIV infection before exposure. To learn more about PrEP, click here.

Menstruation

Note: In addition to pads and tampons, you can also use menstrual cups and menstrual underwear for your period. To learn more about menstrual cups, click here. To learn more about menstrual underwear, click here.

Abortion

Important Note: There are two main types of abortions: medical (also known as the "abortion pill") and surgical (also known as "in-clinic"). For medical abortions, you take a pill to induce abortion. For surgical abortions, a procedure is performed to induce abortion. For general information about medical and surgical abortions, click here.