Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains will nearly double its capacity for abortion care and family planning services in Albuquerque after opening a new health center Wednesday.
The clinic, 136 Washington St. in Albuquerque, will provide the full range of sexual and reproductive healthcare, including abortions, birth control, gender-affirming care, cancer screenings and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, said Adrienne Mansanares, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, which serves New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming.
“This is a really hopeful moment. … I’m just so grateful at Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, we’re expanding access to reproductive and sexual health care in New Mexico, and particularly in Albuquerque,” she said in an interview.
The expanded capacity comes as New Mexico continues to establish itself as an “important destination” for people seeking sexual and reproductive healthcare, Mansanares said.
Data from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive health research and advocacy organization, shows tens of thousands of women seeking abortions have traveled to New Mexico since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade — which opened the door for states to severely restrict access to abortion. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has cared for nearly 10,000 patients from out of state since the 2021 passage of Texas banned abortions after fetal cardiac activity, usually about six weeks into pregnancy, according to data from the organization.
New Mexico has embraced its role as a refuge. The Legislature in 2023 passed House Bill 7, which prohibits public institutions from restricting access to abortions or gender-affirming health care for transgender people.
And now the state is investing directly in reproductive health clinics. Officials in 2024 broke ground on a $10 million, state-funded clinic in Las Cruces that will provide abortion services and other reproductive health care for New Mexicans and for residents of neighboring states with restrictions on the practice. The legislative capital outlay was earmarked by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a staunch supporter of abortion rights.
At the governor’s behest, the Legislature in 2025 approved another $10 million to fund a Northern New Mexico reproductive health clinic to provide medication and in-clinic abortions, contraception, miscarriage management and preventive care.
“Being here in New Mexico is such an honor and a privilege because we have so many protections,” Mansanares said.
With the opening of its new clinic in Albuquerque, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains will have two health centers in New Mexico’s largest city — one on Eubank Boulevard in the Northeast Heights and the other near the Nob Hill neighborhood.
The new location was particularly desirable because it’s among Albuquerque’s most densely populated areas, Mansanares said.
“We know that it’s a highly populated area where the community is, and it’s nice to have that … presence in both sides of the town,” she said.
As Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains’ footprint in New Mexico continues to expand, Mansanares said she hopes it will continue to chip away at the stigma surrounding reproductive and sexual healthcare, especially abortion.
“One in 4 women of reproductive age are going to have an abortion or have had an abortion. It’s incredibly common. … I’m hoping that in the future, this really does become boring, normal healthcare — because that’s what it is,” she said.
Margaret O’Hara reports on issues affecting healthy communities in New Mexico. Her work is funded by a grant from Anchorum Health Foundation. Anchorum will not have any role in editorial decisions. The New Mexican and its Public Service Journalism Fund retain full editorial control. Philanthropically funded stories by The New Mexican are made available to all readers without a paywall.
