Practice here without the law looking over your shoulder, New Mexico tells Texas doctors

The New Mexico Department of Health is recruiting Texas physicians with an ad campaign that targets the state’s strict abortion laws.

Full-page ads appeared in Sunday’s editions of five major newspapers in Texas, including the Star-Telegram.

The newspaper ads feature an open letter from New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham inviting Texas physicians to “consider practicing next door in New Mexico” if they are frustrated by the Lone Star State’s abortion law.

Texas has one of the strictest laws in the nation — it bans most abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy.

The only exception is for conditions that threaten the life of the mother, though the Texas Medical Board declined to clarify in June exactly what conditions those are.

Fort Worth OB-GYN Andrea Palmer told the Star-Telegram in a June interview that she was concerned about a drain on women’s health care in Texas.

Palmer said that the “best and brightest” used to consider Texas a great place to continue their medical education and careers, but due to strict abortion laws, that’s no longer the case.

“Outside the need of abortion care, I think we’re going to end up with fewer OB-GYNs in the state over time,” Palmer said.

Applications to Texas OB-GYN residencies fell 16% for the 2023-24 cycle, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

Applications across all specialties fell by 11.7%, according to the association.

New Mexico needs doctors: 32 of the state’s 33 counties were federally designated Healthcare Professional Shortage Areas in 2023, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

The state spent $400,000 on newspaper ads in Texas and for billboards near Texas Medical Center in Houston, according to Patrick Allen, New Mexico’s cabinet secretary for the Department of Health.

Allen said Texas was chosen because of its track 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’re able to practice to the full extent of your medical judgment without worrying that a prosecutor or sheriff is looking over your shoulder second-guessing your health care judgment,” Allen said.

The advertisements contain the URL to a website, Free To Provide NM.

The website contains a database of medical jobs in New Mexico, as well as resources for medical licensing and links to lifestyle and education resources.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office hit back at Grisham in a statement after the ads’ release.

“People and businesses vote with their feet, and continually they are choosing to move to Texas more than any other state in the country. Governor Lujan Grisham should focus on her state’s rapidly declining population instead of political stunts,” officials with the governor’s office said.