Here’s a question that is popping up more often in dozens of states around America this year. What do you do if you run an abortion clinic and your state government all but bans the procedure for most women? For many, particularly in Texas, you simply close down or move to another state. But the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia chose another path. While still providing abortions to the few women who qualify under the new law, they are preparing to distribute syringes to drug addicts who request them. What does a syringe service program have to do with women’s health care? Not much, apparently, unless the women in question happen to have a drug addiction problem. But the Center is keeping itself in the headlines nonetheless. (Associated Press)

Staff at Women’s Health Center of West Virginia know what it’s like to provide controversial health services that government officials have sought to ban or restrict.

The Charleston clinic was the state’s only abortion provider for years until the state Legislature passed a near-total ban on the procedure last year. The clinic remained open, providing other reproductive care. Now it’s trying to open a syringe service program for drug users, which is another contentious health service that has been regulated by Republican lawmakers in the deep red state.

In addition to applying for a permit to distribute syringes, the Women’s Health Center is also prescribing hormone therapy for transgender patients. The clinic is located in Charleston and there may well be a need for more clean syringes. The city scored one of the highest HIV rates in the nation this year, a fact largely attributed to the significant number of intravenous drug users living there.

Some residents who live in that community, including one woman who lost her son to a drug overdose last year, are complaining about the clinic’s plans. She asked why a health clinic is enabling illegal drug use rather than treating people with substance addiction issues to wean them off of the drugs. As it turns out, this clinic does both, but the majority of addicts don’t seem inclined to seek help when drugs are plentiful and needles are free.

“Let the Women’s Health Center do what it’s supposed to do: provide quality health care to women, not drug addicts needing needles,” Pam Stevens said.

West Virginia has placed a number of restrictions on medical facilities that choose to distribute syringes. Clinics must be licensed by the state and syringe recipients must show proof of residency in the state. The clinic must tell everyone who requests a needle that they have to return it after it’s been used and they must prove that they have collected at least 90% of the syringes that are distributed. A failure to do so can result in a fine for every violation.

The clinic has also found a way around the state’s abortion ban that was enacted last year. They have partnered with another group to set up a sister clinic directly over the border in Maryland. The West Virginia facility writes referrals to the Maryland clinic and uses the money they have raised to cover the cost of the procedure and any travel expenses.

This is a repeating pattern that we will likely continue to observe as the nation sorts itself along political and ideological lines. For a long time now, “dry” counties that forbid the sale of alcohol have seen booze shops quickly open up just over the county line. Going forward, you will probably see abortion clinics opening where blue states border red states.