This is Episode 2 in our 3-part series on reproductive health in Texas — where we have world-class health facilities, yet rank near the bottom when it comes to women’s health outcomes.

Kari White, the Baker Institute’s new nonresident fellow in maternal and reproductive health, joins senior health policy fellow Elena Marks to discuss teenagers’ access to confidential contraceptive care.

Texas, which has one of the country’s highest rates of teen pregnancy, is one of 27 states in the U.S. that doesn’t allow minors to consent to their own contraceptive care. Kari and Elena examine the role of confidential care in teens’ health and the policy case for expanding access.

Kari is also the executive and scientific director at Resound Research for Reproductive Health and the co-author, with Laura Dixon, of a recent Baker Institute issue brief on this topic.

Featured:

Kari White, Ph.D., MPH, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/kari-white

Elena Marks, J.D., MPH, https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/elena-m-marks

This conversation was recorded on April 28, 2025.

A transcript of this episode is available here: https://bit.ly/3HnKbBH.

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