Geography of Abortion Shows Increase in Inter-State Travel

Updated Sept. 7, 2023, 2:55 p.m. PST

• A new study from the reproductive policy-focused Guttmacher Institute has found that women seeking an abortion are “highly motivated” to travel interstate. 
• States that are neighbored by states where abortions have been banned or restricted have seen an increase in the number of abortions performed. In “haven states” like Illinois, there were 18,300 more abortions performed in the first half of 2023 compared to 2020. New Mexico saw a 220% increase in the number of abortions performed.
• There were also small increases in states that have not positioned themselves as havens, like Montana, Ohio, and Wyoming.
• In Texas, there were four abortions on average per month, down from 4,800 per month in 2020. Women who can no longer access abortions in states like Texas have no option but to travel across state lines.
• Isaac Maddow-Zimet from the Guttmacher Institute said: 

"The percentage increase, I think, is also important because it does speak to the potential strain this puts on providers capacity to provide care."

• The Guttmacher Institute plans to publish data showing how new bans in Indiana and South Carolina, and a 12-week ban in North Carolina, will change abortion-related travel patterns. 

A year after the Supreme Court ruled against the federal right to an abortion and overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson, here is where abortion rights stand across the country.

What do the numbers say?

• Research project #WeCount estimated that 24,290 fewer abortions took place between July 2022 and March 2023 than in the years before the Supreme Court ruling.
• #WeCount reported around 93,000 fewer legal abortions in states that banned or severely restricted abortion.
• There were 12,460 additional abortions in Florida, 12,580 in Illinois, and 7,975 in North Carolina in the nine months following the ruling.

A patchwork of state laws

• After the decision, legislation on abortion access became regulated by individual states. There were 13 states with trigger laws in place, which meant that a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade would activate an immediate abortion ban.
• Approximately 22 million women of reproductive age live in states where abortion access is heavily restricted or outlawed. Some women have since reported driving upwards of 4,000 miles to access a safe, legal abortion.
• As of June 26, 2023, abortion is largely banned in 15 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. Georgia has a six-week ban in place — a time before many people know they are pregnant.
• In states like Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma, there are no exceptions for rape or incest. Six other states have imposed bans that have been temporarily blocked in court, including Arizona, Indiana, Montana, Ohio, Utah, and Wyoming.
• At a Planned Parenthood clinic in Missouri, 85% of their patients are from out-of-state, reflecting the growing strain on clinics' resources.
• In preparation for his presidential run, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a six-week abortion ban into law and has been vocal about promoting these policies nationwide.

Financial implications

• Since the ruling, conservative-led states have spent $252.9 million on funding state alternatives to abortion.
• Planned Parenthood raised $15.8 million between June 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 in its campaign for abortion access.
• In California, $135 million in new state funding was earmarked for abortion programs and crisis centers. Illinois committed $18 million in its state budget for reproductive care.
• States like California, Massachusetts, Washington, and Oregon spent roughly $4 million on stockpiling abortion medications when the legality of mifepristone was threatened in court.

The political landscape

• The Women's Health Protection Act was re-introduced in both chambers after the proposal failed in the Senate last year. A group of Democratic senators introduced four bills to protect reproductive freedom, but Republicans blocked these measures. 
• Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said:

"Our goal is to make sure Roe becomes the law of the land and allow every woman to make the decisions about their own health care, not legislatures, not courts."

• Sen. Murray continued:

"This is chaos. We have a country now that is aware more and more every single day of the impacts and fallout of Roe's reversal and are waking up and fighting back."

Do you support increased abortion access?

—Emma Kansiz