U.S. Study Shows the Impact of Abortion Restrictions on LGBTQ+ Arizonans

A new national survey shows queer and trans Americans are struggling to access basic care, including abortion and gender-affirming treatment, amid a growing web of state laws that restrict services and increase stigma. And in Arizona, the consequences of those laws are especially stark for queer people seeking care.

The 2024 LGBTQI+ Community Survey, conducted by the Center for American Progress and the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago, found LGBTQ+ individuals are more than twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ people to report difficulty finding a new provider if their current provider denies them care. In Arizona, where dozens of restrictive abortion laws remain on the books, the gap is even more dramatic.

As a result of those restrictions, 11% of LGBTQ+ people reported having to find a new provider or being unable to access abortion care—compared with just 2% of non-LGBTQ+ people. One-third of transgender respondents said finding a new provider would be “very difficult” or “not possible,” according to the survey.

Though the study was done with a national cohort, the results are emblematic of problems people have faced in Arizona: the state has more than 40 laws and administrative rules that limit access to abortion, despite voters approving a constitutional amendment last year to protect reproductive rights. These laws include mandatory waiting periods, in-person visit requirements, and “informed consent” scripts that providers must deliver, regardless of whether they align with patients’ needs or identities.

Data shows LGBTQ+ Arizonans are more at risk with upcoming abortion ban

More than a third of trans people who got pregnant considered unsafe abortion methods, while bisexuals and lesbians experience unwanted pregnancies at higher rates.

LOOKOUTLisa Abelar (she/her)

The state also enforces a number of Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, or TRAP laws, that make it difficult for clinics to remain open. These include:

• Requiring only licensed physicians to perform abortions, even though nurse practitioners and physician assistants are trained and qualified;
• Mandating that providers have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their clinic—privileges many hospitals deny;
• Allowing unannounced inspections at clinics during business hours.

As a result, only five abortion clinics remain in Phoenix and two in Tucson, leaving large swaths of the state—especially rural areas—without local access.

Beyond abortion, LGBTQ+ people nationwide are more likely than heterosexual people to need reproductive care, but face steeper barriers in accessing it. GLAAD reports that queer people experience higher rates of sexual violence, lack insurance at greater rates, and often struggle to find affirming providers.

A Human Rights Campaign analysis found that 39% of lesbian women reported unwanted pregnancies—more than their heterosexual (27%) or bisexual (29%) peers. The 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that 55% of nonbinary people and 51% of trans men reported being sexually assaulted.

Pre-statehood laws banning abortion also made gay sex punishable up to life in prison.

We looked at the territorial laws and found a rule that would criminalize LGBTQ+ people.

LOOKOUTJoseph Darius Jaafari (he/him)

Despite these needs, access to care in Arizona continues to shrink. A 2018 study by the National Library of Medicine found the percentage of Arizona counties with abortion clinics dropped from 33% to 13% after state restrictions were enacted.

“These policies undermine what Arizona voters clearly stated they want and push essential health care further out of reach for those already experiencing medical discrimination,” said Dr. Misha Pangasa, an OB-GYN and physician at Planned Parenthood Arizona. “These are archaic and medically unnecessary restrictions.”

Pangasa added that the state’s requirements don’t just harm public health—they send a chilling message: “These restrictions don’t just harm public health—they send a chilling message about who is considered worthy of care in this state,” she said. “That is morally indefensible. LGBTQ+ patients are forced to navigate a health care system that actively undermines their needs while also contending with a politically hostile environment that seeks to erase their existence.”

Advocates say the situation could get worse. Athena Salman, Arizona campaign director for Reproductive Freedom for All, said Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation to cut Medicaid and defund Planned Parenthood, which provides gender-affirming care to transgender adults and youth.

“This will do irreparable damage to accessible health care for millions and disproportionately harm LGBTQ+ people—especially trans people,” Salman said. Planned Parenthood estimates that roughly 200 of its health centers nationwide could be forced to close under proposed legislation.

Pangasa urged state lawmakers to listen to their constituents and prioritize reproductive justice that includes LGBTQ+ people.

“Until we center those most affected—and commit to care that is inclusive of all genders, identities and family structures—we will fall short of true justice,” Pangasa said.