New Mexico Democrat Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has signed an executive order that designates $10 million in taxpayer money to fund a new abortion clinic.
Grisham, who's running for reelection in November, issued her order Wednesday because "efforts to restrict access to reproductive health care services from other states may lead more individuals to seek services" in New Mexico.
The order calls for a new clinic to be built in Dona Ana County, along the Texas border, where abortions have been banned since the Supreme Court's June ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
"As more states move to restrict and prohibit access to reproductive care, New Mexico will continue to not only protect access to abortion, but to expand and strengthen reproductive health care throughout the state," Grisham said in a statement.
"Today, I reaffirm my resolve to make sure that women and families in New Mexico – and beyond – are supported at every step of the way."
Grisham is running against meteorologist Mark Ronchetti, a Republican who disagreed with the executive order. He has proposed limiting abortion to the first 15 weeks of pregnancy, or in cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the mother is at risk.
"New Mexico was already the abortion capital of the United States, and now taxpayers are having to foot the bill for a clinic which will perform abortions up to the moment of birth for non-residents who come from other states around the country," Ronchetti, who trails in the latest FiveThirtyEight average of polls, said in a statement.
New Mexico is the only state that borders Texas where abortion remains legal, and it allows the procedure at all stages of pregnancy.
Grisham, who was isolating at her residence after testing positive for COVID-19 last week, announced the order during a livestreamed news conference with women serving in the state legislature as well as the state's Commission on the Status of Women, the Las Cruces Sun News reported.
The governor said no exact location or fiscal agent to handle the funds had been selected for the clinic as yet.
Grisham in June signed an executive order barring state agencies or their employees from assisting criminal investigations by other states into providers or patients related to abortion services in New Mexico.
The Land of Enchantment State, according Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, has seen a 271% increase in out-of-state abortions since the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, the Washington Examiner reported.
The Texas Tribune reported in July that New Mexico had three abortion clinics, though the newspaper earlier this month said several clinics from other states recently announced intentions to move to Grisham's state.