More than 171K patients traveled out-of-state for abortions in 2023, new data shows

More than 171,000 patients traveled out-of-state to receive abortion care last year, according to new data from the Guttmacher Institute, which underscores the widespread impact of state abortion bans that followed the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Out-of-state travel for abortion care has more than doubled since 2019 when 73,100 patients traveled across state lines for abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute's Monthly Abortion Provision Study project. The project estimates the number of abortions in each state without a total ban from January 2023 to March of this year.

The project found that over 1 million clinician-provided abortions took place in 2023. Of that figure, 171,300 people traveled out-of-state to have abortions, according to the data.

"What’s striking about this new data is how often people are traveling across multiple state lines to access abortion care," Isaac Maddow-Zimet, Guttmacher data scientist and project lead, said in a statement Thursday. "Traveling for abortion care requires individuals to overcome huge financial and logistical barriers, and our findings show just how far people will travel to obtain the care they want and deserve."

The new data revealed a trend of patients, mostly residents in southern states with strict abortion laws, traveling across multiple state lines to receive abortion procedures or dispensed pills. Before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, patients had traveled for abortion care due to legal barriers or the availability of providers within their state, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

But the significant increase in 2023 was a result of abortion bans and restrictions in individual states that were quickly implemented after the Supreme Court's decision, the Guttmacher Institute said. Patients have been forced to travel for abortion care because of the lack of access in their home states.

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Abortion laws 'affect thousands of people beyond that state’s borders'

The number of patients that travel out-of-state for abortion care has "always been particularly high" in states with restrictions, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

"Historically, however, many of the people traveling from restrictive states went to states that now have total abortion bans," the Guttmacher Institute said in a news release. "For instance, in 2020, more than 800 Louisiana residents traveled to Texas for abortion care; following the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, that was no longer possible. In 2023, more than 3,500 Louisianans traveled across multiple states to get care in places like Florida, Illinois, and Georgia."

Data showed that most patients in states with strict policies traveled to the nearest or neighboring state that allowed abortions. But patients in southern states, which have the most restrictive laws compared to the rest of the country, had to travel across multiple state lines to receive care.

The state that had the most patients leave for abortion care was Texas, according to the data. A majority — more than 14,000 — traveled to New Mexico but thousands of others crossed several state lines for the procedure.

The state that received the most patients traveling for abortion care was Illinois, the data found. It showed that about 37,300 from 16 states went to Illinois to have an abortion.

Kelly Baden, vice president for public policy at the Guttmacher Institute, noted that Florida had a significant role last year in "maintaining some level of abortion access in the Southeast." More than 85,000 abortions occurred in the state in 2023.

But that figure is expected to drop because of Florida's six-week abortion ban that took effect in May. Currently, the closest state that provides abortion care later than six weeks in pregnancy is North Carolina, according to the Guttmacher Institute.

"The state of residence data makes it clear that this policy change will be devastating not only for Floridians, but also for the thousands of others who would have traveled there after being denied care in their home states," Baden said in a statement. "Once again, we see that a state’s abortion policies affect thousands of people beyond that state’s borders."

States with near-total bans on abortion

As of June, 14 states have near-complete bans on abortions with limited exceptions such as when the parent's life is at risk, rape, incest, and/or fetal anomalies. These states include Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia.

In Missouri, abortion is prohibited in nearly all cases, except for medical emergencies, with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Last April, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion measures into law. The bill abortion at any stage of pregnancy, allowing exceptions only within the first six weeks for cases of rape, incest, or medical emergencies.

In Oklahoma, abortion is banned in almost all cases, without exceptions for rape or incest. In 2023, the State Supreme Court permitted the procedure for only when the parent's life was at risk.

Contributing: Cy Neff, USA TODAY