US: Women Travel Over 12 Hours to Neighboring States for Abortion

Women in the US travel for hours to strategically opened abortion clinics to circumvent the bans in their home states. The number of women seeking out such services has increased significantly in 2023 despite the Supreme Court abortion ban. But the number of American states banning abortion has also increased. 

17 states now ban abortions, with steadfast laws against terminating pregnancies after six weeks. However, this doesn’t stop patients from getting access. Michele Landeau, the chief operating officer at Hope Clinic in southern Illinois, said more than 80 percent of their patients come from states with abortion bans. She said their patients travel 12 hours or more to seek out the services. 

According to Guttmacher Institute’s Monthly Abortion Provision Study, the state of Michigan saw 2,560 more abortions in the first half of 2023. There were fewer abortions in states with abortion bans. However, there was a significant increase in states like Colorado, Washington, New Mexico and Illinois, as well as South Carolina. 

Isaac Maddow-Zimet,  a data analyst, described the increase as striking. He said there’s clearly a lot of travel from the banned states. These America women want their abortion rights. Ushma Upadhyay, a public health scientist at University of Carolina, says there has definitely been a surge in people traveling to those states of Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma for abortion. However, these states are also looking at implementing the ban. And when they do, it will cut off access for women in the whole Southeast. More states are anticipated to join the ban. The number could go up to 25. 

Acknowledging the bans, abortion providers are being very cautious. They have to somehow balance the risks of their pregnant patients and accommodate the law. A gynecologist said if a patient’s water breaks too early before the normal 22 weeks, pregnancy can’t continue and patients are at high risk of developing infection. Hospitals have turned their backs to this. They won’t provide an abortion unless and until the fetal heart has stopped.  The patient’s condition has to be severe enough for them to take this decision for an emergency.

Women’s abortion rights have been thrown into the dark ever since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade case.