MINNEAPOLIS — The number of patients coming to Minnesota to get an abortion soared following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, a new state health report with data from 2023 shows.
There were more than 14,000 abortions performed in 2023, a 16% uptick from the previous year when the highest court upended the 50-year-old precedent protecting access across the country. Year-over-year, out-of-state patients increased by 50%, according to the report published this week .
Of all the patients in Minnesota, 1 in 5 traveled from other states. Iowa, the Dakotas and Wisconsin had the most people crossing state lines, but others traveled from as far away as Texas.
“As laws continue to shift and change, we think that the trajectory will continue to grow,” said Ruth Richardson, CEO of Planned Parenthood North Central States, the largest provider in Minnesota.
The increase comes after lawmakers in the DFL-led legislature two years ago doubled down on abortion rights with a law creating a “fundamental right” to abortion and other reproductive services .