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Kari White

Associate Professor, The Steve Hicks School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Areas of Expertise:

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(205) 934-6713

About Kari

White’s research focuses on the impact of health service delivery models and policies on access to and use of highly effective contraception, with a focus on low-income and immigrant populations. Her recent projects include a collaborative evaluation of legislation affecting family planning funding and abortion restrictions in Texas, assessing factors influencing vasectomy use, and examining women’s access to abortion and post-abortion contraception in the Southeast. 

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

An Opportunity for Texas to Lift Abortion Restrictions and Improve Access to Care

Policy Recommendation,

Many Low Income Women in Texas Do Not Get the Effective Contraception They Want after Giving Birth

  • Joseph E. Potter
  • Kate Coleman-Minahan
  • Kari White
  • Daniel A. Powers
  • Chloe Dillaway
  • Kristine Hopkins
  • Daniel Grossman
Key Findings Brief,

In the News

"Reproductive Autonomy Shouldn’t Depend on Your Employer’s Beliefs," Kari White (with Kristen Lagasse Burke), Opinion, Austin American Statesman, July 19, 2020.
"Texas Disaster Highlights Big Problem with Defunding Planned Parenthood," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), Waco Tribune-Herald, February 11, 2017.
"Defunding Planned Parenthood was a Disaster in Texas. Congress Shouldn’t Do it Nationally," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), The Washington Post, February 7, 2017.
Kari White's research on the impact of Texas House Bill 2 discussed by Laura Kurtzman, "Official Abortion Rate Declined in Texas after Law Restricted Access to Clinics," ScienceDaily, January 19, 2017.
"Long Acting and Reversible Contraception," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), The Weekend, November 5, 2016.
"Restore Family Planning Services to Reduce Maternal Mortality Rate," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), My San Antonio, September 5, 2016.
"Health Cuts by Legislature Have Made Texas Childbirth Riskier," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), The Waco Tribune-Herald, August 30, 2016.
"Misinformation Skews Public Support for Abortion Laws," Kari White (with Joseph E. Potter), The Houston Chronicle, May 19, 2016.
Kari White quoted on the impact of family planning funding cuts in Texas by Wade Goodwyn, "Texas Tries to Repair Damage Wreaked upon Family Planning Clinics" National Public Radio All Things Considered, January 28, 2016.

Publications

"Change in Distance to Nearest Facility and Abortion in Texas, 2012 to 2014" (with Daniel Grossman, Kristine Hopkins, and Joseph E. Potter). JAMA 317, no. 4 (2017): 437-439.

Finds that, following the 2013 Texas House Bill 2, one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, the number of Texas facilities providing abortions declined from 41 in 2012 to 17 in June 2016.

"Women’s Knowledge of and Support for Abortion Restrictions in Texas: Findings from a Statewide Representative Survey" (with Kari White, Joseph E. Potter, Kristine Hopkins, Daniel Grossman, and Liza Fuentes). Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health 48, no. 4 (2016).

Assesses women’s knowledge of specific abortion restrictions in Texas and reasons for supporting these laws. 

"Perceived Interest in Vasectomy among Latina Women and Their Partners in a Community with Limited Access to Female Sterilization" (with Daniel Grossman, Joseph E. Potter, Kristine Hopkins, and Celia Hubert). Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 27, no. 2 (2016): 762-777.

Assesses male partners’ perceived willingness to undergo vasectomy through surveys with 470 Mexican-origin women who did not want more children in El Paso, Texas.

"Impact of Alabama’s Immigration Law on Access to Health Care among Latina Immigrants and Children: Implications for National Reform" (with Valerie Yeager, Nir Menachemi, and Isabel C. Scarinci). American Journal of Public Health 104, no. 3 (2014): 397-405.

Evaluates the effect of Alabama’s 2011 omnibus immigration law on Latina immigrants and their US- and foreign-born children’s access to and use of health services. Finds that the predominant effect was a reduction in service availability, that affordability and acceptability of care were adversely affected, and that nonpregnant women and foreign-born children experienced the greatest barriers.