Interstate travel for abortion care soars post Dobbs decision

Interstate travel for abortion care soars

What you probably already know: Women have to be seriously formidable to get access to basic medical care these days. More than 171,000 people traveled out of state to get abortions last year after Roe vs. Wade was overturned, the New York Times reports. The paper looked at data from the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that tracks access to abortion, which found that interstate travel for abortion care has doubled since 2020.

Why? States that border states where abortion has been banned had massive spikes in the number of abortions performed. Illinois had by far the largest influx of people traveling for care, as it borders three states with total abortion bans. More than 90,000 people traveled to Illinois for care. New Mexico had a 369% increase in abortions with 71% of that coming from nonresidents. Kansas was up 206% with 69% nonresidents. For some patients in the south had to travel thousands of miles to the nearest state with legal access to abortion.

What it means: Some clinics have added rooms where patients can nap after driving all night. Others are adding waiting rooms for children, as many women aren’t able to get childcare overnight for the trip. Clinics and nonprofits have expanded funding to support the costs of the travel and overnight stays, as well as the abortion care itself. Meanwhile, conservative groups are working to rally lawmakers to crack down on interstate travel for abortion access.

What happens now? Some states, like Florida, are putting abortion access on the ballot, a move that has resulted in the preservation of the service in other states. In other states, including Montana, Wyoming and Iowa, abortion bans have been blocked while legal challenges make their way through the courts. Meanwhile, some states have expanded access by adding new protections for those who travel to those states from places where abortion is banned. It’s created a confusing patchwork of laws that patients must navigate to get the care they need.