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Explaining Abortion Regulations, Voxification-Style

Other than the errors in year and content, and the lack of context or balance, the rest of Vox’s abortion story looks about right.

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At Vox (“the smartest thinkers asking the toughest questions”), Sarah Kliff deviates from her strict policy of abstaining from any and all coverage of local news to share a tale of Texas woe. Here’s the tweet advertising the story:

Here’s a relevant portion of the story:

In 2011, Texas passed one of the strictest abortion restrictions in the US. What has happened since, as this GIF from Molly Redden at Mother Jones shows, is a massive wave of clinic closings …. The 2011 Texas law was the one that state Sen. Wendy Davis famously (and unsuccessfully) filibustered.

If you’re looking for a balanced take on how this law protects the lives of unborn children, you will of course look elsewhere. The piece regurgitates talking points from abortion activists without the slightest bit of reportorial skepticism. But just on the explainer side of things, a few thoughts.

The law in question was passed in 2013, not 2011. Wendy Davis’ famous and media-adored late-term abortion filibuster occurred in 2013, not 2011. The 2011 law Kliff is presumably thinking of mandated pre-abortion sonograms, rather than tighter health and safety regulations on clinics.

Other than the errors in year and content, and the lack of context or balance, the rest of the story looks about right.